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LANDSCAPE 

ARCHITECTURE 


REEF 

POINT 

GARDENS 

LIBRARY 


The  Gift  of  Beatrix  Farrand 

to  the  General  Library 
University  of  Calif  orniayBerkeley 


SAXTON'S    COTTAGE    AND    FARM    LIBRARY. 
THE 

AMERICAN  ROSE  CULTURIST; 

N 

BEING    A 

PRACTICAL    TREATISE 

ON    THE 

PROPAGATION,    CULTIVATION,    AND     MANAGEMENT 

OF 

THE     ROSE 

OS  ALL  SEASONS;  WITH  A  LIST  OF  CHOICE  AND  APPROVED 

ADAPTED   TO   THE  CLIMATE   OF   THE   UNITED   STATES 
TO  TVJIKIII  AP.S  ADDE» 

FULL  DIRECTIONS  FOR  THE  TREATMENT 

THE    DAHLIA. 

illustrated    by    Engravings. 


'  No  flower  that  blow* 

•  .ike  the  Rose,  nor  scatters  such  perfum«." 

NEW  YORK: 

C.  M.  SAXTON,  BARKER  &  CO.,  25  PARK  ROW. 

SAN  FRANCISCO  :   H.  H.  BANCROFT  &  CO. 

1860. 


LANDSCAPE 

ARCHITECTURE 

HSbte:ed  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1352.  by 

0.  M.   SAXTON, 

In  *he  Clerk's  Office  of  tie  District  Court  for  the  Southern  District 
of  New  York. 


Farrand 


LxJ-i 

ADVEKTISEMENT. 


THE  marked  effect  with  which  the  "  Cottage  Bee  Keeper "  was 
received,  as  the  first  of  the  series  of  "  Sax  ton's  Cottage  and 
Farm  Library*"  has  led  the  Publisher  to  issue  the  present 
treatise  on  the  Rose  and  the  Dahlia. 

No  pains  will  be  spared  in  bringing  out  the  succeeding  volumes 
agreeably  to  the  plan  of  the  original  design;  and  if  practicable,  it  is 
hoped  that  they  will  be  still  more  deserving  of  success  than  those 
which  have  already  appeared. 

The  publisher  acknowledges  his  indebtedness  to  Messrs.  Lea  and 
Blanchard,  of  Philadelphia,  for  the  permission  granted  for  using  Lan- 
dreth's  "  Dictionary  of  Modern  Gardening,"  in  the  compilation  of  this 
work.  He  also  takes  this  occasion  to  thank  Mr.  William  H.  Starr  for 
the  use  of  several  engravings  herein  employed. 

C.  M.  SAXTON, 
AGRICULTURAL  BOOK  PUBLISHER, 
152  FULTON  STREET. 


315 


INDEX. 


THE    ROSE. 


Brieri 19,30 

Budding 51 

Spring 65 

Calendar  of  Operations 73 

Flowering  of  Seedlings,  Hastening  of 47 

Retarding  of. 49 

Forcing. 39,42,43,44 

Grafting 57 

Root 58 

Hints,  General,  on  Cultivation 67 

Insects  infesting  the  Rose 80 

Manures  proper  for  the  Rose 37 

Pillar  Roses 64,  65 

Planting  of  the  Rose 37 

Poetical  Allusions  to  the  Rose 5,  6,  7,  8 

Potting  of  Roses 39,  41 

Propagation  by  Budding 51 

Cuttings 49 

Grafting 57 

Layers 50 

Seed 45 

Suckers 49 

Properties  of  Climbing  Roses 35 

Moss  Roses 32 

Noisette  Roses 34 

Roses  for  Stands 34 

Pruning 60,65,  66 

Standards 61 

and  Trailing  Pillar  Roses 64,  65 

Root  Grafting 58 

Roses,  Austrian  Brier 19 

Banksian 21,  26 


FAGB 

Roses,  Bengal.....' 8 

Bourbon 11,  21,  24 

Boursault t 20 

Burgundy 28 

China-... 17,2? 

Climbing 14,20,  21,35 

Damask 18 

Double  Yellow 19 

Evergreen 20 

French 17,28 

Hardy  Garden 15 

Hybrid. 12,17,21 

Jaune  Desprez : 25 

Macartney. 23 

Microphylla..- 25 

Miniature 22 

Moss 17,34 

Musk 15,  23 

Noisette 13,  23,  34 

Perpetual 12,  21 

Pillar 64 

Provence 16 

Scotch 19 

Species  of. 8 

Sweet  Brier 19,30 

Tea-scented 9,  22 

Varieties  of 8 

Village  Maid 29 

White 18 

Williams'  Yellow  Sweet  Brier 30 

Soil  proper  for  the  Rose 36 

Species  and  Varieties 8 


THE   DAHLIA. 


PAGE 

After  Culture 94 

History 78 

Mulching 93 

Planting  out 92 

Propagation  by  Grafting  and  Slips 90 

Seed 89 

Slips 90 

Requisites  of  a  Fine  Flower 88 


PAGH 

Situation 91 

Soil,  Preparation  of. 91 

Treatment,  Autumnal 94 

of  Slips 91 

Spring 99 

when  flo\ 
Watering. 


awermg. 


THE    ROSE. 


INTRODUCTION. 


ROSE  !  thou  art  the  sweetest  flower 
That  ever  drank  the  amber  shower  ; 
Rose  !  thou  art  the  fondest  child 
Of  dimpled  Spring,  the  wood  nymph  wild. 

ANACHKON. 

1HE  Rose,  the  emblem  of  beauty  and  the  pride 
of  Flora,  reigns  Queen  of  the  Flowers  in  every 
part  of  the  globe  ;  and  the  bards  of  all  nations 
and  languages  have  sung  its  praises.  Yet 
what  poet  has  been  able,  or  language  sufficient, 
to  do  justice  to  a  plant  that  has  been  denom- 
inated the  Daughter  of  Heaven,  the  glory  of 
spring,  and  the  ornament  of  the  earth  ?  As 
it  is  the  most  common  of  all  that  compose  the 
garland  of  Flora,  so  it  is  the  most  delightful. 
Every  country  boasts  of  it,  and  every  behold- 
er admires  it.  Poets  have  celebrated  its  charms  without  exhausting 
its  eulogium  ;  for  its  allurements  increase  upon  a  familiarity,  and  every 
Fresh  view  presents  new  beauties,  and  gives  additional  delight.  Hence 
it  renovates  the  imagination  of  the  bard,  and  the  very  name  of  the 
flower  gives  harmony  to  his  numbers,  as  its  odors  give  sweetness  to 
th*  air. 


6  INTRODUCTION. 

To  paint  this  universal  emblem  of  delicate  splendor  in  its  own  hues, 
the  pencil  should  be  dipped  in  the  tints  of  Aurora,  when  arising  amidst 
her  aerial  glory.  Human  art  can  neither  color  nor  describe  so  fair  a 
flower.  Yenus  herself  feels  a  rival  in  the  Rose,  whose  beauty  is  com- 
posed of  all  that  is  exquisite  and  graceful.  It  has  been  made  the 
symbol  of  sentiments  as  opposite  as  various.  Piety  seized  it  to  deco- 
rate the  temples,  while  Love  expressed  its  tenderness  by  wreaths ;  and 
Jollity  revelled  adorned  with  crowns  of  roses.  Grief  strews  it  on  the 
tomb,  and  Luxury  spreads  it  on  the  couch.  It  is  mingled  with  our 
tears,  and  spread  in  our  gayest  walks ;  in  epitaphs,  it  expresses  youth- 
ful modesty  and  chastity,  while  in  the  songs  of  the  Bacchanalians 
their  god  is  compared  to  tins  flower.  The  beauty  of  the  morning  is 
allege rically  represented  by  it,  and  Aurora  is  depictured  strewing 
roses  before  the  chariot  of  Phoebus : 

"When  morning  paints  the  orient  skies, 
Her  fingers  burn  with  roseate  dyes." 

The  Rose  is  thought  to  have  given  name  to  the  Holy  Land  where 
Solomon  sang  its  praises,  as  Syria  appears  to  be  derived  from  Siuri,  a 
beautiful  and  delicate  species  of  Rose,  for  which  that  country  has  al- 
ways been  famous ;  and  hence  called  Suristan,  or  the  "  Land  of  Roses." 
The  island  of  Rhodes  owes  its  name  to  the  prodigious  quantity  of 
roses  which  formerly  grew  upon  its  soil. 

Of  the  birth  of  the  Rose,  it  is  related  in  fable,  that  Flora  having 
found  the  corpse  of  a  favorite  Nymph,  whose  beauty  of  person  was 
only  surpassed  by  the  purity  of  her  heart  and  chastity  of  her  mind, 
resolved  to  raise  a  plant  from  the  precious  remains  of  this  daughter  of 
the  Dryads,  for  which  purpose  she  begged  the  assistance  of  Venus 
and  the  Graces,  as  well  as  of  all  the  deities  that  preside  over  gardens, 
to  assist  in  the  transformation  of  the  Nymph  into  a  flower,  that  was 
to  be  by  them  proclaimed  Queen  of  all  the  vegetable  beauties.  The 
ceremony  was  attended  by  the  Zephyrs,  who  cleared  the  atmosphere, 
in  order  that  Apollo  might  bless  the  new-created  progeny  by  his 
beams.  Bacchus  supplied  rivers  of  nectar  to  nourish  it,  and  Vertumnus 
poured  his  choicest  perfumes  over  the  plant.  When  the  metamor- 
phosis was  complete,  Pomona  strewed  her  fruit  over  the  young 
branches,  which  were  then  crowned  by  Mora  with  a  diadem,  that  had 
been  purposely  prepared  by  the  celestials  to  distinguish  this  Queen  of 
f.  lowers. 


INTRODUCTION.  7 

Anacreon's  birth  of  the  Rose  stands  thus  translated  by  Moore : 

"  Oh  !  whence  could  such  a  plant  have  sprung  ? 
Attend— for  thus  the  tale  is  sung ; 
When,  humid  from  the  silvery  stream, 
Venus  appeared,  in  flushing  hues, 
Mellowed  by  ocean's  briny  dews  — 
When,  in  the  starry  courts  above, 
The  pregnant  brain  of  mighty  Jove 
Disclosed  the  nymph  of  azure  glance — 
The  nymph  who  shakes  the  martial  lanee  ! 
Then,  then,  in  strange  eventful  hour, 
The  earth  produced  an  infant  ftower, 
Which  sprung,  with  blushing  tinctures  drest, 
And  wantoned  o'er  its  parent's  breast. 
The  gods  beheld  this  brilliant  birth, 
And  hailed  the  rose— the  boon  of  earth  ! 
With  nectar  drops  a  ruby  tide, 
The  sweetly-orient  buds  they  dyed, 
And  bade  them  bloom,  the  flowers  divine 
Of  him  who  sheds  the  teeming  vine  j 
And  bade  them  on  the  spangled  thorn 
Expand  their  bosoms  to  the  morn.?y 

The  first  Rose  ever  seen  was  said  to  have  been  given  by  the  god  (/ 
love  to  Harpocrates,  the  god  of  silence,  to  engage  him  not  to  divulge 
the  amours  of  his  mother  -Venus ;  and  from  hence  the  ancients  made  it 
a  symbol  of  silence,  and  it  became  a  custom  to  place  a  Rose  above  their 
heads  in  their  banqueting  rooms,  in  order  to  banish  restraint,  as  no- 
thing there  said  would  be  repeated  elsewhere ;  and  from  this  practice 
originated  the  saying,  sub  rosa,  (under  the  rose,)  when  anything 
was  to  be  kept  secret. 

Oriana,  when  confined  a  prisoner  in  a  lofty  tower,  threw  a  wet  Rose 
to  her  lover  to  express  her  grief  and  love ;  and  in  the  floral  language 
of  the  East,  the  presenting  a  rose  bud  with  thorns  and  leaves,  is  under- 
stood to  express  both  fear  and  hope ;  and  when  returned,  reversed,  if, 
signifies  that  one  must  neither  entertain  fear  nor  hope.  If  the  thorns 
be  taken  off  before  it  is  returned,  then  it  expresses  that  one  has  every- 
thing to  hope;  but  if  the  leaves  be  stripped  off,  it  gives  the  receiver  to 
understand  that  he  has  everything  to  fear. 

The  Moss  Rose  is  made  the  emblem  of  voluptuous  love ;  and  th« 
creative  imagination  of  a  German  poet  thus  pleasingly  accounts  foe 
this  Rose  having  clad  itself  in  a  mossy  garment : 

The  angel  of  the  flowers  one  day 
Beneath  a  rose  tree  sleeping  lay. 


SPECIES  AND  VARIETIES. 

That  spirit  to  whose  charge  is  given 

To  bathe  young  buds  in  dews  from  heav«n, 

Awaking  from  his  light  repose, 

The  angel  whispered  to  the  rose, — 

'  Oh,  fondest  object  of  my  care, 

Still  fairest  found  where  all  are  fair, 

For  the  sweet  shade  thou'st  given  to  m«, 

Ask  what  thou  wilt,  'tis  granted  thee.' 

'  Then,'  said  the  rose,  with  deepened  glow, 

4  On  me  another  grace  bestow.' 

The  spirit  paused  in  silent  thought — 

What  grace  was  there  that  flower  had  not  ? 

'Twas  but  a  moment — o'er  the  rose 

A  veil  of  moss  the  angel  throws  ; 

And,  robed  in  nature's  simplest  weed, 

Can  there  a  flower  that  rose  excved  ?' 


SPECIES    AND    VARIETIES 

BOTANISTS  enumerate  at  least  eighty  distinct  species  of  the  Rose,  and 
ft  «sts  an  almost  innumerable  number  of  varieties  and  «nib-varieties, 
tn  »st  of  which  are  hardy,  deciduous,  or  evergreen  shrubs.  To  attempt 
a  description  or  even  to  give  a  list  of  the  names  of  all  of  these  would 
be  foreign  to  the  design  of  this  little  treatise,  and  would  bf»  a  needless 
waste  of  time,  for  the  simple  reason  that  many  of  them  are  unworthy 
of  preservation,  wliile  in  others,  nothing  short  of  the  nicest  and  the 
most  minute  inspection  can  discover  any  difference. 

The  following  are  the  names  and  characters  of  the  more  important 
and  desirable  members  of  this  family,  best  adapted  to  this  country 
and  may  be  purchased  at  any  of  our  principal  florists : — 

3i>mjjal  er  Uailg  IVosrs. 

Names.  Color  and  Character  * 

Animated,  Rosy  blush. 

Arsenic,  Light  rose. 

Augustine  Hersent,  Superb  rose. 

Assuerus,  Crimson. 

Admiral  Duperre,  Dark  rose. 

Belle  Isidore,  Crimson. 


SPECIES    AND   VARIETIES. 


Names . 

Belle  de  Monza, 

Belle  violet, 

Bisson, 

Burette, 

Cameleon, 

Cramoisi  superieur, 

Gels, 

Comble  de  gloire, 

Don  Carlos, 

Duchess  of  Kent, 

Eugene  Beauharnais, 

Fabvier, 

Grandral, 

Grandida, 

Hortensia, 

Indica  alba, 

Jacksonia, 

Louis-Philippe, 

Lady  Warrender, 

Laurencia, 

Marjolin, 

Mrs.  Bosanquet, 

Napoleon, 

Eeine  de  Lombardie, 

Samson, 

Triomphant, 

Vanilla, 


Color  and  Character, 

Dark  rose. 

Violet  purple. 

Rosy  blush. 

Dark  red. 

Rose. 

Crimson. 

Blush. 

Crimson. 

Dark  rose. 

Pink. 

Crimson. 

Scarlet. 

Crimson. 

Rose. 

Light  rose. 

Pure  white. 

Bright  red. 

Crimson. 

White. 

Pink. 

Crimson. 

Large,  blush. 

Rose,  fine. 

Cherry  red. 

Light  rose. 

Crimson. 

Dark  rose. 


2Tea*scente&  looses. 


Names. 

Archduchess  Theresa, 
Aurora, 
Alba, 
Arkinto, 
Adelaide, 
Antherose, 
Adam, 

Belle  Marguerite, 
1* 


Color  and  Character, 

White. 
Blush. 
Pure  white. 
Flesh  color. 
Blush. 

Blush  white. 
Rosy  blush. 
Rosy  purple. 


10 


SPECIES   AND   VARIETIES. 


Names. 

Bougdre, 

Boutrand, 

Bon  Sildne, 

Bourbon, 

Barbot, 

Camellia, 

Caroline, 

Countess  Albemarle 

Due  d'0rle*ans, 

Devoniensis, 

Devaux, 

Delphine  Q-audot, 

D'Arrance  de  Navarre, 

Eliza  Sauvage, 

Flon, 

Flavescens, 

Golcondi, 

Goubault, 

Gigantesque  de  Lima, 

Gloria  de  Hardi, 

Hymene"e, 

Jaune  Panache, 

La  Sylphide, 

Lilicina, 

Lyonnais, 

La  Pactole, 

La  Renomme, 

Madame  Desprez, 

Mansais, 

Niphetos, 

Odoratissima, 

Princesse  Maria, 

Princesse  d'Esterhazy, 

Strombio, 

Triomphe  de  Luxembourg, 

Yictoria  modeste, 

William  Wallace, 


Color  and  Character 
Light  rose. 
Rosy  blush. 
Superb  red. 
White. 
Blush. 
White. 
Bright  rose. 
Straw  color 
Bright  rose. 
Creamy  yellow. 
Blush. 
White. 
Light  pink. 
Pale  sulphur. 
Buff. 
Yellow. 
Blush  white. 
Rosy  blush. 
Light  yellow. 
Light  rose. 
White. 
Straw  color. 
Rosy  buff. 
Lilac. 
Rose. 
Yellow. 
White. 
White. 
Rosy  buff. 
White. 
Rich  blush. 
Blush. 
Light  rose. 
White. 
Rosy  blush. 
Blush. 
Pale  blush. 


SPECIES   AND   VARIETIES. 


11 


Bourbon 

Names. 

Augustine  Lelieur, 

Acidalie, 

Comte  de  Rambuteau, 

Ceres, 

Cytherea, 

Comte  d'Eu, 

Doctor  Rocques, 

Dumont  de  Courset, 

Du  Petit  Thouars, 

Emilie  Courtier, 

G-loire  de  Rosamene, 

G-loire  de  Paris, 

Grand  Capitaine, 

Gloire  de  France, 

Hermosa, 

Henri  Plantier, 

Imperatrice  Josephine, 

Lady  Canning, 

Madame  Desprez, 

Madame  Souchet, 

Madame  Lacharme, 

Madame  Nerard, 

Marechal  de  Villars, 

Ninon  de  1'Enclos, 

Paul  Joseph, 

Princesse  Clementine, 

Phoenix, 

Pierre  de  St  Cyr, 

Queen, 

Reine  de  Fontenay, 

Souchet, 

Souvenir  de  la  Malmaison, 

The*resita, 


Color  and  Characttt. 

Bright  rose. 

White,  large,  and  fine. 

Violet  purple. 

Dark  rose. 

Rosy  pink,  very  fragrant 

Bright  carmine. 

Purple  crimson. 

Deep  purple. 

Rosy  red. 
Brilliant  crimson. 
Bright  red. 
Brilliant  scarlet 
Rose,  very  fragrant 
Light  pink. 
Pale  rose. 
Creamy  white. 
Deep  rose. 
Rosy  lilac. 
Blush,  fine. 
Blush  white. 
Light  rose. 
Rosy  purple,  fine. 
Dark  rose. 
Velvet  crimson. 
Deep  rosy  purple, 
Rose  red. 
Light  rose. 
Delicate  blush. 
Brilliant  rose. 
Deep  crimson. 
Creamy  white,  fine. 
Bright  carmine. 


12 


SPECIES    AND    VARIETIES. 


aHemontant  or  7A>r)lm&  perpetual  3&oses. 

In  Europe,  these  Roses  are  highly"  esteemed ;  here,  their  reputation 
as  "  perpetuals,"  has  been  seriously  injured,  in  consequence  of  their 
having  been,  in  many  instances,  worked  on  stocks  unsuited  either  to 
them,  or  to  our  climate. — Landreth. 

Name  3 . 

Antinous, 
Aubernon, 

Augustine  Mouchelet, 
Baronne  Provost, 
Comte  de  Paris, 
Claire  du  Chatelet, 
Clementine  syringe, 
Comtesse  Duchatel, 
Crimson  or  rose  du  roi, 
D' Angers, 
Doctor  Marjolin, 
Due  d'Aumale, 
Duchesse  de  Nemours, 
Duchesse  de  Sutherland, 


Edouard  Jesse, 
Isaure, 
Israel, 

Insigne  D'Estotells, 
Josephine  Antoinette, 
Louis  Bonaparte, 
Lady  Fordwich, 
Lady  Alice  Peel, 
La  Reine,  or  Queen, 
Madame  Laffay, 
Marquise  Bocella, 
Mrs.  Elliott, 
Melanie  cornu, 
Newton, 
Palmyre, 
Princesse  He*le*ne, 
Prince  Albert, 
Pnidence  "Roeser, 


Color  and  Character. 

Dark  crimson. 
Clear  red,  very  fine. 
Clear  bright  rose. 
Fine  rose  polor. 
Dark  crimson. 
Purple  red. 
Pale  rose. 

Light  crimson. 
Delicate  rose. 


Pale  rose. 

Bright  rose. 

Dark  purple  crimson. 

Bright  pink. 

Sable. 


Rosy  blush. 

Deep  Rose. 
Rosy  carmine. 
Rose  color,  superb. 
Brilliant  rose. 

Rosy  red. 
Deep  crimson. 

Blush. 

Large  deep  rose. 

Very  dark  crimson,  fine. 

Rosy  pink. 


SPECIES   AND    VARIETIES. 


13 


Names. 

Prince  de  Salm, 
Prince  of  Wales, 
Heine  de  la  G-uillotiere, 
Desquermus  or  Royal, 
Stanwell, 
Sisley, 


Color  and  Character. 
Dark  crimson. 
Rose  carmine. 
Brilliant  crimson. 
Large  rose. 
Blush,  very  fine. 
Large  bright  red. 


Noisette  or  <£luster*JFlotoenn3  Hoses. 


Names  . 

Color  and  Character. 

*Alba, 

Creamy  white. 

*Aimee  Vibert, 

Pure  white. 

Bengal  Lee, 

Blush,  fragrant. 

Cadot, 

Blush  lilac. 

Charles  Tenth, 

Purple. 

Conque  de  Venus, 

White  rose  centre. 

Coeur  Jaune, 

White  yellow  centre. 

Champneyana, 

Rosy  white. 

*Comtesse  de  Grillion, 

Blusn. 

Chromotelle, 

Large  yellow,  fine. 

*Euphrosine, 

Pale  yellow. 

Fellenberg, 

Crimson,  superb. 

*Gabriel, 

Blush,  fine. 

Jaune  Desprez, 

Rosy  yellow. 

*  Julienne  le  Sourd, 

Rose. 

Julie  de  Loynes, 

White. 

Lamarque, 

Creamy  white,  fine; 

La  Biche, 

Flesh  color. 

Lady  Byron, 

Pink,  fine. 

Lutea,  or  Smithii, 

Fine  yellow. 

Landreth's  carmine, 

Carmine. 

*La  Nymphe, 

Pale  rose. 

Miss  Simpson, 

Blush. 

Orloff, 

Pink,"  fine. 

*0phire, 

Yellow,  fragrant. 

Sir  Walter  Scott, 

Deep  rose. 

Solfatare, 

Superb  dark  yellow. 

Vitellina, 

White. 

*  Th«w  marked 

*  are  dwarfs. 

SPECIES  AND   VARIETIES. 


©limbinjj 


These  flower  annl.ally  in  immense  clusters,  grow  rapidly,  and  are 
quite  hardy.  —  Landreth. 


Names. 

Banksia  lutea, 
Banksia  alba, 
Boursault, 
Boursault  purpurea, 
Boursault  blush, 
Boursault  gracilis, 
Bengalensis  scandens, 
Fe*licite  perpetuelle, 
Grevillia,    . 


Multiflora, 

Multiflora  alba, 

Rubifolia,    Single  Michigan  or 

Prairie, 

Rubifolia  elegans, 
Rubifolia  purpurea, 
Rubifolia,  Queen  of  the  Prairies, 
Rubifolia  alba, 
Russelliana, 
Sempervirens  plena, 
Triomphe  de  Bollwyler, 
Laura  Davoust, 


Color  and   Character. 

Double  yellow. 

White. 

Rose  color. 

Purple. 

Large  blush. 

Bright  rose. 

Large  rosy  white. 

Blush  white. 

Greville  produces  im- 
mense clusters,  of  vari- 
ous colors  and  shades, 
frDm  white  to  crimson. 

Pink. 

Blush  white. 


Double  pink. 
Double  purple. 
Double  pink. 
Double  blush  white. 
Crimson  cottage 
Superb  white. 
Blush  white. 
White. 


Names. 

Maria  Leonida, 
Microphylla  rosea, 
Microphylla  odorata  alba, 


Color  and  Charaettt 

White,  extra  fine. 
Rose  color. 
Creamy  white. 


SPECIES  AND   VARIETIES. 


15 


Names  . 


Mosehata, 
Moschata  superba, 
Princesse  de  Nassau, 


C  olor  and  Character  . 

White  semi-double. 
Pure  white,  very  double. 
White  double. 


(Kartrcn  Boats. 


JVa  m  «  5 . 


Miaulis, 

Coronation, 

Reine  des  roses, 

Due  d' Orleans, 

Painted  Damask, 

Brennes, 

Rivers'  G-eorge  IV., 

Hybride  blanche, 

Heureuse  surprise, 

Ranunculus, 

La  capricieuse, 

Royal  Provins, 

Du  Roi, 

Harrisonii, 

Moss,  Single, 

Moss,  Common, 

Moss,  Luxembourg, 

Moss,  White, 

Moss,  Crested, 

Moss,  Adelaide, 

York  and  Lancaster, 

Provins  Belgic, 

Four  Seasons, 

Moretti, 

Burgundy, 

Persian, 

Village  Maid,  or  La  Belle  Villa- 

geoise, 
Austrian  Brier 


Color  and  Character. 
Rosy  purple. 
Purple  crimson. 
Bright  crimson. 
Dark  rose. 
White. 
Dark  pink. 
Superb  crimson. 
White. 
Carmine. 
Purple,  compact. 
Purple  crimson. 
Superb  pink. 
Perpetual,  bright  red. 
Yellow  Austrian  brier. 
Crimson,  very  mossy. 
Rose. 
Crimson. 
Perpetual. 


Red  and  white. 
Large  pink. 
Pink. 

Light  rose. 
Rose,  compact. 
Double  yellow. 

Rose,  striped  with  lilac. 
Deep  yellow 


16  SPECIES   AND   VARIETIES. 

In  contemplating  some  of  the  best  Roses  from  the  various  families, 
we  cannot  help  admitting,  that,  compared  with  the  old  and  still  valued 
varieties,  more  than  two-thirds  even  of  our  selections  are  not  so  good 
in  character.  The  love  of  novelty  is  all-powerful ;  a  shade  of  color, 
the  slightest  difference  in  habit,  a  different  season  of  bloom,  an  alter- 
ation in  the  size  or  color  of  the  foliage,  the  distinction  between  a  slow 
and  a  fast  growth,  have  always  been  considered  sufficient  by  sellers  to 
warrant  a  new  name  and  a  place  in  the  catalogues ;  and  the  Rose, 
unlike  all  other  flowers,  began  with  better  varieties  than  hundreds  of 
their  successors,  or  rather  their  younger  rivals,  proved  to  be. 

Notwithstanding  many  of  the  early  Roses  were  really  beautiful, 
and  hardly  admitted  of  much  improvement,  we  had,  at  a  very  early 
period  of  the  fancy,  such  Roses  as  the  Tuscan,  the  Cabbage,  the  Cab- 
bage Moss,  the  Maiden's  Blush,  White  Provence,  and  Double  Yellow. 
These  have,  it  is  true,  been  succeeded  by  a  few  worthy  of  ranking 
with  them,  but  they  have  to  be  selected  from  thousands  infinitely 
worse,  and  hundreds  which  ought  not,  for  the  raiser's  honesty,  or  the 
buyer's  good  sense,  to  have  even  passed  the  seed  bed.  If,  therefore, 
we  were  to  select,  to  lessen  our  readers'  difficulty  in  choosing,  we 
could  not  recommend  them  as  Roses  equal  to  old  favorites ;  for  not 
one  in  fifty  would  beat  the  few  we  have  mentioned,  and  which  ought 
to  be  the  first  they  furnish. 


Th.e  Provence  Rose. 

The  Provence  Rose,  or,  as  it  has  been  called,  the  Hundred-leaved 
Rose,  is  a  distinguishing  title  for  every  Rose  that  has  a  remarkably 
double  flower,  unless  there  is  something  in  the  habit  or  character  that 
claims  for  it  another  title.  If  this  were  understood,  we  should  know 
what  we  are  about.  The  Moss  Rose  would  clearly  come  under  this, 
were  it  not  for  the  moss;  for  the  old  Cabbage  Rose,  and  the  Moss 
Rose  strongly  grown,  would  not  be  known  from  each  other,  except  for 
the  Moss;  and  the  Moss  Rose  would  be  a  Moss  Rose,  if  ever  so  single, 
though  its  original  were  double  and  fine.  Now,  the  Provences,  of 
which  the  old  Cabbage  Rose  is  a  sort  of  type,  and  generally  called  the 
Hundred-leaved  Rose,  ceases  to  deserve  this  name,  if  semi-double.  So 
that  although  the  origin  of  the  family  is  rightly  named,  many  pushed 
Vnto  the  same  list  da  no*  deserve  the  name. 


SPECIES   AND   VARIETIES.  17 


Moss   Rose. 

This  family  is  distinguished  by  the  mossy  appearance  of  their  steins 
and  the  calyx,  and  therefore  there  is  no  difficulty  in  recognising  any 
member  of  the  family. 

The   French   Rose. 

This,  to  some  of  our  readers,  would  appear  to  mean  roses  raised  in 
France.  It  happens,  however,  that  the  original  was,  as  many  of  the 
leading  ones  were,  raised  by  Van  Eden,  in  Holland,  and  it  was  years 
before  the  French  raised  a  single  seedling  from  them ;  nevertheless 
some  of  the  so-called  varieties  were  raised  in  France,  but  as  there  are 
hundreds  raised  in  that  country  which  are  not  belonging  to  this  family, 
the  distinguishing  name  fails ;  and  were  it  not  so,  they  are  so  unlike 
each  other  that  one  could  not  recognise,  in  any  particular  feature, 
enough  to  decide,  nor  do  the  rose  growers  themselves  appear  more 
certain. 

Hybrid  Provence   Roses. 

These  are  said  to  be  intermediate  between  French  and  Provence 
roses,  because  they  have  the  long  shoots  of  one  and  the  dense  foliage 
of  the  other ;  the  said  long  shoots  and  dense  foliage  being  the  charac- 
teristics of  roses  of  other  families  in  quite  as  large  a  degree,  and  even 
in  this  very  family,  we  have  varieties  which  seem  to  be  between  the 
Boursault  and  Provence.  So  that  all  is  indecision,  change,  uncertainty, 
and  frivolity.  In  this  family,  the  distinguishing  character  is  that  they 
"are  robust  and  hardy  ;"  so  are  hundreds  that  do  not  belong  to  it 

Hyt>rid  China  -Roses. 

We  are  told  of  this  family,  that  the  numerous  varieties  give  a  com- 
bination of  all  that  is  beautiful  in  a  Rose.  They  are  said  to  owe  their 
origin  to  all  sorts  of  crosses ;  but  there  is  a  distinguishing  feature  in 
these,  if  it  be  adhered  to:  "  leaves  smooth,  glossy,  and  sub-evergreen; 
branches  long,  luxuriant,  and  flexible."  Then,  again,  we  are  informed 
'' that,  hybrids  produced  frem  the  Rose,  impregnated  with  the  China 


18  SPECIES    AND    VARIETIES. 

Rose,  are  not  cf  such  robust  and  vigorous  habits  as  when  the  China 
Rose  is  the  female  parent."  This  looks  like  plain,  straightforward 
information ;  but  it  is  followed  by  the  same  incertitude  as  some  of  thr 
other  distinguishing  features  of  families.  Mr.  Rivers  adds:  "But,  per 
haps,  this  is  an  opinion  not  borne  out  by  facts ;  for  the  exceptions  are 
numerous,  and  like  many  other  variations  in  roses,  and  plants  in  gen- 
eral, seems  to  bid  defiance  to  systematic  rules?'  Of  course,  they  do ; 
and,  with  the  exception  of  those  names  which  bespeak  a  distinct  char- 
acter, the  splitting  of  this  beautiful  flower  into  so  many  different  fam- 
ilies at  all,  was  a  very  injudicious  measure.  Athelin,  a  Rose  classed  in 
this  group,  is  called  also  a  Hybrid  Bourbon,  and  as  it  blooms  in  clus- 
ters, would  have  been  much  better  understood  if  called  a  Noisette. 
It  comprises  other  roses  as  unlike  each  other  as  can  be  well  imagined, 
and  many  of  them  will  shoot  ten  feet  in  a  season,  and  would  be  much 
more  at  home  if  classed  as  Climbing  Roses.  Belle  de  Rosny,  among 
this  family,  is  nevertheless  called  also  a  Hybrid  Bourbon,  and  many 
others  of  this  family  are  destined  to  be  removed,  if  the  senseless  dis 
tinctions  by  name  are  to  be  kept  up. 


White   Hoses. 

Here  we  have  an  illustration  of  the  extreme  folly  of  the  present  dis- 
tinctions. We  are  told  the  roses  of  this  division  may  be  easily  dis- 
tinguished by  their  green  shoots,  and  leaves  of  a  glaucous  green, 
looking  as  if  they  were  covere.4  with  a  grayish  impalpable  powder ; 
and  flowers  generally  of  the  most  delicate  colors,  graduating  from  a 
pure  white  to  a  bright  but  delicate  pink. 


The    Damask  Rose. 

,  .od  is  as  incongruous  a  group  as  any.  Blanche  borde  de  rouge 
has  flowers  sometimes  a  pure  white,  at  others  margined  with  red. 
Claudine  has  flowers  of  a  pale  rose  cclor.  York  and  Lancaster,  also 
classed  among  them,  has  flowers  striped  with  red  and  white.  Coralie 
is  flesh  color.  Then  we  have  Madame  Hardy,  which,  we  are  fairly 
told,  "is  not  a  pure  Damask  Rose;"  perhaps  not,  as  it  is  white,  and 
unlike  all  the  rest  Then,  there  is  the  Duke  of  Cambridge,  which  Mr. 


SPECIES    AND    VARIETIES.  19 

Rivers  "at  firyl  thought  a  Hybrid  China,"  and  says,  "will,  perhaps, 
be  better  grouped  with  the  Damask  Roses. ' 

Scotch   Roses. 

So  long  as  this  family  was  allowed  to  be  kept  select,  these  roses 
were  very  distinct ;  they  make  long  briery  shoots,  and  flower  with 
small  blooms  almost  like  briers,  the  whole  lensrth  of  stems.  They  are 
exceedingly  pretty,  formed  as  a  bank,  or  in  clumps.  They  are  not 
adapted  for  standards.  They  bloom  early,  and  the  Scotch  nurserymen 
now  boast  of  two  or  three  hundred  varieties:  but  like  all  the  other 
families,  there  are  many  among  them  that  have  b/^en  raised  from  seed, 
and  others  imported,  which  are  neither  by  name  nor  nature  Scotch. 
Amiable  etrangere  is  a  French  hybrid.  Adelaide  is  a  large  Red  Double 
Rose.  La  Cenomane  is  a  French  hybrid  with  large  flowers,  "not  so 
robust  as  the  pure  Scotch  varieties." 

The    Sweet   Brier. 

This  lovely  ornament,  or  rather  tenant  of  the  garden,  is  universally 
admired  for  the  delicious  fragrance  of  its  foliage,  and  for  nothing  else. 
It  is  only  necessary  to  say  here,  that  others  whose  leaves  are  not  fra- 
grant have  been  placed  with  it  to  make  a  family ;  some  of  the  new 
members  having  but  little  fragrance,  and  one,  the  Scarlet  Sweet  Brier, 
none  at  all. 

The   Austrian   Brier. 

Here  we  have  the  same  evidence  of  indecision  as  to  where  things 
ought  to  be  placed.  In  this  scentless  family  we  have  Williams'  Double 
Yeilow  Sweet  Brier.  In  fact,  the  Sweet  Brier  and  the  Austrian  Brier 
are  muddled  together  so  completely  that  catalogues  do  not  agree,  and 
the  further  we  go,  the  more  confusion  we  get  into,  and  more  instances 
occur  of  removal  from  one  division  to  another. 

The    Douhle    Yello-w    Rose 

Here  we  have  only  two  individuals,  the  old  Double  Golden  Yellow, 
sc  beautiful  and  double  as  to  be  universally  admired,  and  the  Jaune, 
a  dwarf  kind,  both  shy  bloomers  under  ordinary  management,  or 


20  SPECIES   AND    VARIETIES. 

when  we  come  to  the  right  of  it,  never  blooming  well  till  they  are 
matured,  which  takes  some  years.  Of  course,  there  are  many  Double 
Yellow  Roses,  but  only  two  are  admitted  into  this  select  family. 

Clim"bing    Roses. 

Here  we  might  expect  to  find  all  those  roses  which,  from  their 
habits,  were  adapted  to  the  fronts  of  houses,  pillars,  trellises,  and  other 
lofty  stations.  One  would,  at  least,  expect  that,  if  Climbing  Roses 
mean  anything,  it  means  all  roses  that  will  climb.  No  such  thing, 
Having  pushed,  we  know  not  how  many  roses  that  climb  into  other 
families,  of  course  they  cannot  be  here.  We  have  various  divisions 
in  this  family  notwithstanding:  First,  we  have  the  Ayrshire  Rose, 
which  is  said  to  be  a  hybrid,  accompanied  by  several  others  called 
Ayrshire  Roses  also ;  next,  we  have  the  second  division,  called  Rosa 
multiflora,  said  to  be  a  native  of  Japan,  and  a  number  of  companions 
as  unlike  it  as  may  be ;  not  that  there  are  any  among  this  family  that 
do  not  climb,  but  there  are  very  many  as  good  Climbing  Roses  shut 
out  from  it. 

The  Queen  of  the  Prairies,  or  Michigan  Rose,  is  remarkable  for  its 
perfectly  hardy  growth,  flourishing  equally  well  in  Canada  at  the 
north,  and  in  Texas  at  the  south.  It  grows  with  unparalleled  rapid- 
ity, exceeding  all  other  roses  of  this  family,  covering  an  entire  arbor 
or  an  old  building  in  a  short  space  of  time.  It  blooms,  also,  after  other 
summer  roses  are  mostly  gone,  its  flowers  occurring  in  large  clusters 
of  different  shades. 

Evergreen   Roses.    ' 

Here  there  can  be  no  mistake :  an  Evergreen  Rose  must  be  an 
Evergreen  Rose ;  but,  although  we  have  some  enumerated,  there  are 
plenty  of  Evergreen  Roses  not  admitted  into  this  family,  but  pushed 
about  in  all  directions,  some  crammed  into  the  China,  and  some  into 
the  Hybrid  China. 

Boursault  Roses. 

This  is  said  to  be  "  a  most  distinct  group  of  roses,  with  long  red- 
dish flexible  shoots;"  yet  Gracilis  is  affirmed  to  be  "unlike  the  other 
varieties  of  this  division."  They  are  said  to  be  good  Climbing  Roses, 
making  ten  feet  of  growth  in  the  season. 


SPECIES   AND   VARIETIES.  21 

Banksian    Rosea. 

The  White  and  Yellow  Banksian  Roses  are  very  beautiful  plants, 
with  small  foliage  and  flowers,  very  graceful,  and  distinct  as  any 
in  cultivation ;  yet  we  have  a  rose-colored  hybrid  introduced  with 
them ;  a  plant  acknowledged  to  partake  "  as  much  of  the  character 

of  the  Boursault  Rose,  as  of  the  Banksian." 

« 

Hybrid  Climbing  Hoses. 

These,  one  would  think,  are  neither  Climbing  nor  Dwarf,  but  be- 
tween both.  Not  so,  however ;  because  Rosa  craculum  makes  shoots 
from  ten  to  fifteen  feet  in  a  season.  Madame  d'Arblay,  or  Well's 
White,  has  been  formerly  placed  among  the  Evergreen  Roses;  but 
whether  she  misbehaved  herself  there,  or  was  a  great  favorite  here,  is 
of  no  consequence.  She  was  removed  from  that  family  to  this.  We 
aje,  however,  informed,  with  regard  to  her  sojourn  among  the  family 
of  Evergreens,  and  subsequent  removal,  that  her  "habit  is  so  different 
and  her  origin  so  well  ascertained,  that  Mr.  Rivers  removed  her  to  the 
present  family." 

Perpetual  Hoses. 

These,  if  the  rose  gentlemen  would  stick  to  the  character,  would 
be  very  easily  defined — roses  which  have  a  complete  season  of  bloom ; 
which  go  off  but  a  short  time ;  make  a  fresh  season  of  bloom,  and  so 
on.  Not  like  the  China  Roses,  always  "  growing  and  blooming,"  but 
fairly  making  different  •  seasons  of  bloom,  as  complete  as  if  a  winter 
intervened. 

The   Bourbon   Rose. 

The  original  Bourbon  Rose  was  a  hybrid  between  the  Common 
China  and  the  Red  Four  Seasons.  Of  course,  this  was  quite  enough 
reason  for  rose  growers  to  add  to  the  family  all  that  were  something 
like  it,  and  others  that  were  nothing  like  it.  Here  let  Mr.  Rivers 
speak:  "Diaphane  is  a  small  high-colored  Rose,  almost  scarlet.  This 
is  not  a  true  Bonbon."  The  fact  is,  there  is  nothing  like  the  Bourbon 
Rose  about  it.  Here  we  have  also  G-loire  de  Rosam^ne;  unlike  the 
Bourbon  Rose  in  everything.  It  is  a  robust  Climbing  Rose,  of  which 


22 


SPECIES   AND    VARIETIES. 


even  Mr.  Rivers  himself  says,  "  As  a  Pillar  Rose,  it  will  form  a  splendid 
object."  The  White  Bourbon,  which  the  French  cultivators  are  at 
war  about,  "some  swearing,"  as  Mr.  Rivers  tells  us,  "by  all  their 
saints  that  it  is  a  veritable  Bourbon,  while  others  as  strongly  maintain 
that  it  is  a  Noisette ;"  and  from  its  clustered  flowers  the  latter  are 
nearest  right.  But  all  this  arises  from  the  multiplication  of  families. 

» 

China  Hoses. 

Everybody  knows  the  Pale  China  and  the  Dark  China  Roses,  which 
may  be  seen  decorating  the  cottages  of  our  industrious  classes  as  well 
as  the  gardens  of  the  rich.  They  were,  however,  Bengal  Roses,  and 
not  natives  of  China.  Now  the  distinguishing  characteristic  of  the 
Bengal,  or,  as  now  called,  China  Rose,  is  smooth  bark,  with  the  thorns 
distant  from  each  other ;  shining  leaves,  and  constant  growing  and 
blooming.  These  features  could  be  well  understood  by  everybody ; 
but  everything  that  can  be  at  all  traced  to  have  any  one  of  these  fea- 
tures, and  cannot  be  easily  placed  in  other  families,  must  come  to  this  j 
and  so  we  have  plenty,  and  a  most  beautiful  family  it  is. 

•          Tea-scented  China  Roses. 

This  is  an  acknowledged  variation  of  the  Bengal,  or,  as  the  rose 
dealers  will  have  it,  China  Rose  ;  but  it  is  a  true  China,  imported  into 
England  from  that  empire  in  1810.  It  is  said  to  have  been  the  parent 
of  this  large  family ;  but  here  we  have  the  same  difficulty  that  pre- 
sents itself  in  other  families — there  is  no  place  to  draw  the  line ;  they 
are  China  Roses,  and  only  China  Roses,  but  they  are  stronger  scented 
than  the  Bengal,  called  Common  China,  and  it  is  difficult  to  detect  the 
difference  between  the  highest  perfumed  of  the  former  class  and  the 
lowest  perfumed  of  the  China  Tea  Roses,  as  now  classed. 

Miniature   Roses. 

This  family  is  also  said  to  be  China,  possessing  all  the  marked  fea- 
tures ;  but  it  is  smaller  than  the  others,  and  is  acknowledged  by  Mr. 
Rivers  to  be  only  a  dwarf  variety  of  the  Common  China,  or,  as  we 
insist,  Bengal.  It  is  worthy  of  remark,  that  all  those  so-called  China 
Roses  have  the  characteristics  we  have  mentioned,  the  constant  grow- 


SPECIES   AND    VARIETIES.  23 

•ng  and  blooming,  if  kept  in  order  under  proper  protection ;  and  are 
not  deciduous. 

The    Noisette  Rose. 

The  distinguishing  ckaracter  of  this  Rose  is  that  it  flowers  in 
bunches,  and  this  ought  to  be  the  character  of  every  one  added  to  the 
family.  Bat  here  we  have  Lamarque,  which  is  anything  but  a  Noi- 
sette ;  it  does  not  flower  in  bunches,  unless  every  Rose  which  has  two 
or  three  flowers  on  a  stem  is  to  be  called  Noisette ;  and  Smith's  Yel- 
low Noisette  is  about  as  much  entitled  to  the  name  of  Lamarque.  But 
they  are  not  alone ;  too  many  which  have  no  claim  on  the  family  have 
nevertheless  been  forced  on  them. 

The   Musk  Rose 

This  is  an  old  favorite,  and  many  which  nave  been  supposed  to 
come  from  its  seed  are  fastened  on  it  as  a  family,  and  many  not  very 
like  the  parent.  The  family,  like  some  of  the  others,  is  greatly  con- 
fused, and  there  is  nothing  so  distinct  as  to  connect  it  as  a  separate 
class. 

The  Macartney   Roea. 

The  characteristic  of  this  Rose  is  its  very  bright  thick  evergreen 
foliage,  and  therefore  any  other  Hybrid  Roses  which  have  that  char- 
acteristic might,  according  to  other  classifications,  be  put  among 
these.  Maria  Leonida  is  perhaps  the  best  of  them  ;  Rosa  berberifolia 
hardii,  of  whose  origin  Mr.  Rivers  makes  a  sad  muddle,  is  classed  with 
this  family.  Mr.  Rivers'  story  is,  that  "  Rosa  hardii  was  raised  from 
seed  by  Mons.  Hardy,  of  the  Luxembourg  Gardens,  from  Rosa  involu- 
cre, a  variety  of  Rosa  bractcata,  fertilised  with  that  unique  rose,  Rosa 
berberifolia  which  was  very  frequently  exported  from  Persia,  and  comes 
always  true  to  the  parent;  some  of  the  Persian  seed  was  sent  to 
Mons.  Hardy,  and  from  that  he,  like  others,  raised  the  true  Rosa  ber- 
berifolia, which  Mr.  Lee,  of  the  Hammersmith  Nursery,  raised  from 
Persian  seed  likewise,  more  than  twenty  years  before  Mr.  Hardy  was 
a  rose  raiser  at  all."  Well  may  Mr.  Rivers  say,  in  continuation,  "This 
curious  hybrid,  like  its  Persian  parent,  has  single  yellow  flowers,  with 
a  dark  eye,  and  evergreen  foliage."  The  fertilising  part  of  the  busi 


24 


SPECIES   AND   VARIETIES. 


ness  is  the  mere  work  of  a  fertile  imagination.  When  any  one  haa 
got  Kosa  berberifolia,  he  need  not  trouble  himself  about  whether  hs 
has  it  from  the  seed  raised  by  Mons.  Hardy,  or  the  seed  raised  by  hia 
predecessors.  There  is  no  more  variation,  and  no  more  hybrid  about 
either,  than  there  is  in  two  plants  of  small  salac1. 

Roea  Micropliylla. 

This,  we  are  told,  is  nearly  allied  to  the  Macartney  Rose ;  so  ar« 
the  varietiss  of  it,  and  ought  not  to  have  been  separated. 


(RosA  bourboniana). 


SPECIES   AND    VARIETIES. 


JA.TJH*  DBSPREZ    (Yellow  Ro««> 


SPECIES  AND  VARI1TIML 


BAXXSIAV  ROMS   (Rosa  baalrsia  lut«n 


SPECIES   AND   VARIETIES. 


SMAX.X. 


ROBE    (Boa«  microphylla). 


SPECIES   AND   VARIETIES 


BURGUNDY  Rosa    (Boa* 


SPECIES    AND    VARIETIES. 


29 


TXM  VILLAO*  MAID    (La  Belle  Villageoia»). 


30 


SPECIES    AND    VARIETIES 


Wtt/LIAMB     POUBLB -TSLLOW    SwKET     3BZX*. 


CHARACTERISTICS   OF   A   FINE   ROSE.  31 


CHARACTERISTICS    OP    A  PINE    ROSE. 

THERE  is  no  flower  more  difficult  to  define  than  the  Rose,  and  the 
difficulty  arises  out  of  several  curious  facts.  First,  it  is  the  only  flower 
that  is  beautiful  in  all  its  stages — from  the  instant  the  calyx  bursts  and 
shows  a  streak  of  the  corolla,  till  it  is  in  full  bloom.  Secondly,  it  is 
the  only  one  that  is  really  rich  in  its  confusion,  or  that  is  not  the  less 
elegant  for  the  total  absence  of  all  uniformity  and  order.  The  very 
fact  of  its  being  beautiful  from  the  moment  the  calyx  bursts,  makes 
the  single  and  semi-double  roses,  up  to  a  certain  stage,  as  good  as 
the  perfectly  double  ones;  and  there  is  yet  another  point  in  the  forma- 
tion of  some  varieties,  which  makes  them  lose  their  beauty  when  they 
are  full  blown.  Fo*  instance,  the  Moss  Rose  is  a  magnificent  object 
so  long  as  the  calyx  is  all  seen,  but  so  soon  as  the  flower  fully  expands, 
all  the  distinction  between  a  Moss  Rose  and  a  commoji  one  has  de- 
parted, or  is  concealed.  This  brings  us  at  once  to  an  acknowledg- 
ment that  the  grand  characteristic  of  a  Moss  Rose  is  its  calyx.  These 
properties  must  never  be  estimated  by  full-blown  flowers,  and  there- 
fore, all  varieties  of  Moss  Roses  must  be  exhibited  before  they  expand 
enough  to  hide  the  calyx. 

There  are  some  properties,  however,  which  apply  to  all  roses,  what- 
ever be  their  characteristics  in  other  respects,  and,  therefore,  must  be 
taken  as  an  estimable  point  in  the  construction  of  a  flower. 

1.  The  petals  should  be  thick,  broad,  and  smooth  at  the  edges. 
Whether  this  be  for  a  Moss,  which  is  never  to  be  shown  fully 

opened,  or  the  florist's  favorite,  which  is  to  be  shown  as  a  dahlia,  thi? 
property  is  equally  valuable,  be  use  the  thicker  the  petal,  the  longer 
it  is  opening,  and  the  longer  does  it  co  linue  in  perfection,  when  it  if 
opened.  There  is  another  essential  point  gained  in  thick-petalleo 
flowers :  The  thicker  the  petal,  the  more  dense  and  decided  the  shade 
or  color,  or  the  more  pure  a  white,  while  the  most  brilliant  scarlet 
would  look  tame  and  watery  if  the  petal  were  thin,  transparent,  and 
flimsy.  Hence,  many  semi-double  varieties,  with  these  petals,  look 
bright  enough  while  the  petals  are  crowded  in  the  bud,  but  are  watery 
and  tame  when  opened,  and  dependent  on  their  single  thickness. 

2.  The  flover  should  be  highly  perfumed,  or,  as  the  dealers  call  it, 
fragrant 


32  CHARACTERISTICS   OF   A   FINE   ROSE. 

Whether  this  is  to  climb  the  front  of  a  Jiouse,  bloom  on  the  ground, 
or  mount  poles  or  other  devices,  fragrance  is  one  of  the  great  charms . 
which  place  the  Rose  on  the  throne  of  the  garden  as  the  Queen  of 
Flowers. 

3.  The  flower  should  be  double  to  the  centre,  high  on  the  crown, 
round  in  the  outline,  and  regular  in  the  disposition  of  the  petals. 

This  would  seem  to  be  a  little  contradictory,  after  saying,  that  in  a 
Moss  Rose,  the  full-blown  flower  cannot  be  allowed,  because  it  con- 
ceals the  grand  characteristic  of  the  plant.  But  it  is  not  contradictory, 
because  we  defend  it  on  grounds  which  render  doubleness  equally 
valuable  to  the  Moss  family,  which  should  not  be  shown  in  full  bloom, 
as  to  those  which  are  so  exhibited.  The  more  double  the  flower,  even 
when  amounting  to  confusion,  the  more  full  and  beautiful  the  bud  in 
all  its  stages.  Those  who  have  noticed  the  single  and  semi-double 
Moss  Roses  will  remember  that  the  buds  are  thin  and  pointed,  and 
starved-looking  affairs,  while  the  old  common  Moss  Rose,  which  is 
large  and  double  as  the  Cabbage  Rose,  is  bold,  full,  rich,  and  effective, 
from  the  instant  the  calyx  bursts.  At  this  point,  we  shall  have  to 
branch  off  and  take  families ;  perhaps  the  Moss  Rose  family  is  the  best 
to  commence  with.  Those  who  now  follow  through  the  different 
species  or  varieties,  will  find  the  first  three  rules  are  essential  to  all, 
and  are  therefore  repeated  with  each  division. 


Properties    )f  Moss    Roses. 

1.  The  petals  should  be  thick,  broad,  and  smooth  at  the  edges. 

2.  The  flower  should  be  highly  perfumed,  or,  as  the  dealers  call  it, 
fragrant. 

3.  The  flower  should  be  double  to  the  centre,  high  on  the  crown, 
round  in  the  outline,  and  regular  in  the  disposition  of  the  petals. 

4.  The  quantity  of  moss,  the  length  of  the  spines,  or  prickles,  which 
form  itj  and  its  thickness,  or  closeness,  on  the  stems,  leaves,  and  calyx, 
cannot  be  too  great. 

This  being  the  distinguishing  characteristic   of  Moss   Rosea,  the 
more  strongly  it  is  developed  the  better. 

5.  The  length  of  the  divisions  of  the  calyx,  and  the  ramifications 
at  the  end,  cannot  be  too  great.     As  the  entire  beauty  is  in  the  unde- 


CHARACTERISTICS   OF   A   FINE   ROSE. 


veloped  bud.  the  more  the  calyx  projects  beyond  the  opening  flower, 
or  rather  the  more  space  it  covers,  the  better. 

6.  The  plant  should  be  bushy,  the  foliage  strong,  the  flowers  abun- 
dant and  not  crowded,  and  the  bloom  well  out  of  the  foliage. 


DIAGRAM    OF  A    FINE  DOUBLE    ROSE. 


7.  The  color  should  be  bright  or  dense,  as  the  case  may  be,  and  if 
•;!ie  color  or  shade  be  new,  it  will  be  more  valuable ;  and  the  color 
must  be  the  same  at  the  back  as  the  front  of  the  petals. 

These  seven  properties  would  constitute  a  Moss  Rose  a  valuable 
acquisitior,  and  probably,  at  present,  the  greatest  acquisition  would 
be  a  yellow  one. 

8.  The  stem  should  be  strong  and  elastic,  the  footstalks  stiff,  so  a& 
to  bold  the  flower  well  up  to  view. 


CHARACTERISTICS   OF   A   FINE   ROSE. 


Properties   of  Roses  for   Stands,   showing   the   Single  Bloom. 
like  Dahlias. 

1.  The  petals  should  be  thick,  broad,  and  smooth  at  the  edges. 

2.  The  flower  should  be  highly  perfumed,  or,  as  the  dealers  call  it( 
fragrant. 

3.  The  flower  should  be  double  U    the  centre,  high  on  the  crown, 
rcund  in  the  outline,  and  regular  in  the  disposition  of  the  petals. 

4.  The  petals  should  be  imbricated,  and  in  distinct  rows,  whether 
they  be  reflexed,  like  some  of  the  velvety  Tuscan  kind,  or  cupped  like 
a  ranunculus ;  and  the  petals  to  the  centre  should  continue  the  same 
farm,  and  only  be  reduced  in  size. 

5.  The  color  should  be  distinct  and  new,  and  stand  fast  against  the 
sun  and  air,  till  the  bloom  fail. 

6.  The  stem  should  be  strong,  the  footstalk  stiff  and  elastic ;  the 
blooms  well  out  beyond  the  foliage,  and  not  in  each  other's  way. 

The  very  worst  habit  a  Rose  can  have,  is  that  of  throwing  up  sev- 
eral blooms  close  together,  on  short  stiff  footstalks,  some  of  which 
must  be  cut  away  before  the  others  can  be  fully  developed ;  as  show 
flowers,  they  are  bad,  and  as  plants,  they  are  very  untidy.  The  side 
buds  prevent  the  centre  flowers  from  opening  circularly,  and  when 
the  first  beauty  is  off,  they  exhibit  dead  roses  held  fast  between  two 
living  ones. 

Properties    of  Noisette   Roses. 

However  singularly  some  catalogues  class  these  varieties,  we  intend, 
by  this  name,  to  distinguish  those  roses  which  bloom  in  clusters. 

1.  The  petals  should  be  thick,  broad,  and  smooth  at  the  edges. 

2.  The  flower  should  be  highly  perfumed,  or,  as  the  dealers  call  it, 
fragrant. 

3.  The  flower  should  be  double  to  the  centre,  high  on  the  crown, 
round  in  the  outline,  and  regular  in  the  disposition  of  the  petals. 

4.  The  cluster  should  be  sufficiently  open  to  enable  all  the  flowers 
to  bloom  freely,  and  the  stems  and  footstalks  should  be  firm  and 
elastic,  to   hold   the  flower  face  upward,  or  face  outward,  and  not 
hang  down,  and  show  the  outside,  instead  of  the  inside  of  the  blooma 

5.  The  bloom  should  be  abundant  at  the  end  of  every  shoot. 


CHARACTERISTICS    OF   A   FINti    ROSE.  35 

6.  The  blooming  shoots  should  not 'exceed  twelve  inches  before 
they  flower. 

"".  The  bloom  should  stand  o'.t  beyond  the  foliage,  and  the  plant 
should  be  compact  and  bushy. 

We  now  proceed  to  a  family  which  we  shall  designate  Climbing 
Eoses,  and  which  comprise  blooms  of  the  Noisette  kind,  that  is,  in 
bunches ;  blooms  which  come  singly,  large  and  small ;  flowers  early 
and  late ;  and,  in  fact,  which  comprise  all  sorts  of  roses  that  grow  tal] 
enough  for  training. 

Properties    of  Clirating   Roses. 

1.  The  petals  should  be  thick,  broad,  and  smooth  at  the  edges,  with 
the  outer  ones  curving  slightly  inwards. 

2.  The  flower  should  be  highly  perfumed,  or,  as  the  dealers  call  it, 
fragrant. 

3.  The  flower  should  be  double  to  the  centre,  high  on  the  crown, 
round  in  the  outline,  and  regular  in  the  disposition  of  the  petals. 

4.  The  joints  should  be  short  from  leaf  to  leaf.     The  blooms  should 
oome  on  very  short  branches,  and  all  up  the  main  shoots.     The  plant 
should  be  always  growing  and  developing  its  flowers,  from  spring  to 
autumn,  and  the  foliage  should  completely  hide  all  the  stems,  whether 
the  plan  be  on  front  of  a  house  or  on  any  given  device. 

Concluding   P,emarka. 

Having  now  travelled  through  the  chief  of  the  families,  which 
require  separate  notices  of  their  properties,  the  first  three  properties 
numbered  being  required  in  all  of  them,  we  add,  by  way  of  a  finish 
for  all,  except  Moss  Roses,  that 

The  foliage  should  be  bright  green  and  shining,  and,  though  not 
likely  to  be  found  in  many  varieties,  it  should  be  permanent,  and  con- 
s'itute  an  evergreen. 

By  this,  we  mainly  establish  a  point  in  favor  of  an  evergreen.  We 
mention  nothing  about  size,  because  size  forms  the  distinction  between 
many  roses  wl  ich  have  no  other  difference,  and  has  little  or  nothing 
to  do  with  the  properties  of  the  Rose,  except  uniformity  in  the  same 
variety. 


PROPER  SOIL  FOR  THE  ROSE. 


PROPER  SOIL  FOR  THE  ROSE. 

THE  proper  soil  for  the  Rose  is  strong  rich  loam,  and  well  decom- 
posed vegetable  mould,  cow  dung,  or  horse  dung;  but  as  we  an 
too  often  already  provided  with  the  kind  of  soil  we  are  obliged  to  use 
and  the  gardens  and  situations  for  our  roses  are  generally  ready 
made,  all  we  can  do  is  to  modify  and  supply  the  deficiency,  if  any, 
as  well  as  we  can.  If  the  soil  be  light,  holes  must  be  dug,  and  loam 
and  dung  forked  in  at  the  bottom  of  the  hole,  as  well  as  the  hole  be 
filled  up  with  the  same  mixture;  for  troublesome  as  this  may  be,  it  is 
the  only  way  to  secure  a  good  growth  and  bloom,  and  it  is  next  to 
useless  to  plant  roses  in  poor  light  soil  without  this  precaution. 
Kitchen  gardens  well  kept  up,  will  always  grow  the  Rose  well,  and 
unless  the  soil  be  very  poor  and  very  light,  a  good  spadeful  of  rotten 
dung,  mixed  with  the  soil  where  the  Rose  is  planted,  will  answer  all 
the  purpose.  Among  the  evils  of  poor  soil  for  the  Rose,  it  is  not  the 
least,  that  it  frequently  makes  the  flower  that  would  otherwise  l)e 
double  come  single  or  semi-double,  so  as  to  destroy  all  identity  of  the 
variety  by  its  bloom ;  and  although  many  thousands  of  roses  of  no 
value  have  been  sent  out,  many  others  which  did  not  deserve  it  have 
been  condemned,  because  the  party  who  was  growing  them  knew 
nothing  about  their  cultivation,  and  starved  them  into  a  false  charac- 
ter. As  it  is  difficult,  however,  to  give  the  Rose  too  rich  a  soil,  it 
may  be  as  well,  even  if  you  think  it  good  enough,  to  work  in  a  spade- 
ful of  dung  with  it ;  for  it  will  do  no  harm,  even  if  the  state  of  the 
ground  be  ever  so  good.  We  have  no  doubt  that  the  Rose  would 
flourish  in  rotten  turf,  and  when  they  are  to  be  grown  in  pots,  it  is 
practicable  to  give  them  this  invaluable  stuff  to  grow  in ;  but  unless 
it  be  a  recently  turned-up  pasture,  there  is  nothing  approximating  to 
it  out  of  doors,  and  even  this  is  far  less  supplied  with  the  rotted  grass, 
than  when  turfs  are  cut  thin  to  rot  for  use.  As  a  general  principle, 
then,  '  may  be  laid  down  that  the  Rose  requires  rich  soil ;  and  that  if 
you  have  it  not,  you  must  changr  the  nature  of  what  yc  i  have,  by 
means  of  dung,  or  loam,  or  both 


MANURES PLANTING    OF    THE    ROSE.  37 


MANURES    FOR    THE    ROSE. 

ONE  of  the  best  manures  for  the  rose  is  a  mixture  of  one  part  of 
Peruvian  guano,  three  parts  charred  turf  and  earth,  and  six  parts  of 
cow  dung.  A  thin  dressing  of  this  should  be  pointed  in  with  a  trowel 
every  spring. 

Roses  may  also  be  watered  at  any  period  of  their  growth  with  a 
mixture  of  one  fourth  of  a  pound  of  Peruvian  guano  and  eight  gallons 
of  water,  to  be  applied  with  a  watering  pot  in  the  evening  or  on  a 
cloudy  day. 


PLANTING    OF  THE    ROSE. 

To  plant  the  rose  properly,  the  root  must  first  be  examined,  and 
every  particle  of  it  that  has  been  bruised  should  be  cut  off  with  a 
sharp  knife  just  above  the  bruise;  all  the  torn  and  ragged  ends  should 
be  made  smooth,  and  cut  away  as  far  as  they  are  split-  or  damaged. 
If  any  root  has  been  growing  downward,  it  should  be  shortened  up ; 
for  it  is  better  to  discourage  any  from  growing  downright.  This 
preparation  being  made,  and  the  holes  dug  large  enough  to  take  the 
root  in  without  cramping  it,  fork  or  dig  up  the  bottom  of  the  hole  to 
loosen  it,  and,  if  necessary  to  make  any  addition  to  the  present  soil, 
to  mix  it  properly  with  the  soil  taken  out,  and  work  it  some  way 
into  the  soil  at  the  bottom.  Let  one  hold  the  tree  or  plant,  if  it  be  too 
large  to  manage  properly  alone,  and  the  other  throw  in  the  soil  be-  . 
tween  the  roots.  By  moving  the  stem  backward  and  forward,  and 
pulling  upward  a  little,  it  is  easy  to  work  the  soil  well  between  the 
roots,  and  on  this  much  depends.  When  it  is  adjusted,  the  top  of  the 
root  must  be  pretty  close  to  the  top  of  the  ground ;  there  must  be 
none  of  the  stump  or  stem  buried ;  and  when  trodden  down,  the  root 
must  be  fixed  steady  and  solid.  If  you  have  to  manage  the  planting 
by  yourself,  you  must,  as  soon  as  the  hole  is  prepared,  lay  hold  of  the 
stem  just  above  the  root,  and  return  the  soil  with  your  other  hand, 
continuing  to  move  the  head  first  one  way  and  then  the  other,  untU 


38  PLANTING   OF    THE    ROSE. 

the  soil  has  worked  well  between  the  roots,  when  it  may  be  troddeD 
in  as  mentioned  before. 

Dwarf  plants  there  is  no  difficulty  in  planting,  but  you  must  be 
careful  to  k(.ep  the  crown  of  the  root  near  the  surface  of  the  ground, 
the  treading  in  of  all  fair  and  solid  being  a  necessary  operation  with  all 
the  kinds  of  plants.  With  the  standard  sorts  you  should  drive  stakes 
into  the  ground  pretty  firmly,  and  fasten  the  stems  of  the  roses  to 
them,  to  prevent  the  wind  from  removing  them;  as  when  your  roots 
have  been  once  firmly  trodden  in,  you  cannot  move  a  tree  one  way 
nor  the  other  without  breaking  the  fine  fibres,  and  thus  lessening  the 
capacity  of  the  root  to  carry  strength  to  the  head.  If  you  are  plant- 
ing a  group  of  standard  roses,  you  should  place  the  highest  in  the  cen- 
tre, and  the  lower  ones  nearer  the  outside ;  in  fact,  a  handsome  clump 
of  roses  might  have  six-foot  standards  in  the  middle,  four  feet  six  inches 
in  the  next  row,  three-foot  ones  nearer  the  front,  and  eighteen-inch 
ones  outside ;  these,  if  at  proper  distances,  and  with  picked  sorts,  of 
something  near  the  same  habit  of  growth,  will  form  a  superb  mountain 
of  roses  in  the  proper  season. 

Rows  of  Standard  Roses  may  be  planted  with  advantage  on  each 
side  of  a  coach  road,  in  a  park,  or  on  both  sides  of  a  path  on  a  lawn, 
but  at  proper  distances,  so  that  each  shall  form  a  specific  object  in 
itself,  as  well  as  a  portion  of  a  row  of  rose  trees.  Roses  also  form  very 
beautiful  objects  planted  in  isolated  situations  on  lawns,  and  especially 
when  the  sort  of  rose  is  distinct  from  others,  or  blooms  at  different 
periods ;  for  whatever  forms  a  portion  should  be  of  a  similar  habit  to 
the  rest  of  the  whole.  Thus,  if  a  particular  walk  in  a  garden  or  shrub- 
bery were  bounded  by  two  rows  of  roses,  they  should  all  flower  at 
once.  If  a  clump  of  roses  is  planted,  they  should  flower  at  one  season. 
A  mixture  of  spring,  summer,  and  autumn  roses  would  be  very  bad  ; 
the  place  never  looks  right ;  therefore  some  pains  must  be  taken  to 
keep  all  those  which  flower  at  the  same  period  of  the  year  together. 
One  portion  of  the  garden  may  then  be  always  garnished  with  roses, 
and  it  is  far  better  than  having  them  straggling  about,  with  here  and 
there  a  flowerless  one  among  those  in  bloom,  or  a  blooming  one  among 
those  not  in  flower. 

Planting  of  roses  which  are  on  their  own  bottoms,  or  worked  low 
down  for  dwarfs,  or  for  climbers  where  flowering  wood  is  always 
vanted  from  tl.a  ground,  differs  in  nowise  from  any  other  planting 


1'OTTING    OF    ROSES.  39 

except  as  to  the  situation,  which  should  be  chosen  not  too  much 
exposed  to  the  wind,  as  in  the  most  sheltered  spot  they  always  have 
enough  to  encounter.  They  must  be  planted  firmly,  and  in  good 
soil :  and  whatever  they  have  to  climb  up  should  be  firmly  placed  by 
rights  before  they  are  planted,  but  certainly  before  they  shall  have 
grown  much,  as  the  roots  spread  a  good  deal,  and  if  damaged  by  vio- 
lence after  they  have  begun  to  grow  vigorously,  they  will  receive  a 
check  which  they  may  not  get  over  the  same  season. 


POTTING  OF    ROSES. 

To  the  cultivators  of  the  Rose,  any  improvement  in  pots  is  of  im- 
portance. Those  designed  to  grace  a  hall  or  a  window  of  a  dwelling, 
may  be  made  in  fine  stone  and  earthenware  of  various  patterns,  and 
should  be  so  constructed  as  to  possess  advantages  over  the  common 
old  red  porous  ones  made  of  clay.  One  reason  why  plants  potted  the 
usual  way  do  not  flourish  well  in  the  house  during  the  winter  season 
is,  the  proper  want  of  leakage,  or  drainage,  and  a  due  circulation  of 
air  about  their  roots,  in  consequence  of  the 
close  connection  between  the  bottom  of  the 
pot  and  the  shelf  or  bench  on  which  it  rests. 

Mr.  M'Intosh,  gardener  of  the  Duke  of 
Buccleuch,  has  obviated  the  above-named  ob- 
jection by  making  pots  with  feet,  as  denoted 

in  the  adjoining  cut.  By  this  means,  the  plants  get  rid  of  their  mois- 
ture, and  freely  receive  air  about  their  roots  through  the  hole  in  the 
bottom  of  the  pot. 

Potting   Deciduous   Roses   for  Forcing. 

The  nearer  you  can  imitate  planting  in  the  open  ground  the  bet- 
ter. The  soil  should  be  the  same  or  richer,  with  dung  chiefly, 
because  yo  i  cannot  water  soil  without  washing  away,  in  some  meas- 
ure, whatever  it  is  impregnated  with,  that  is  soluble.  By  a  parity  of 
reasoning,  you  cannot  moisten  with  water  impregnated  with  anything, 
without  imparting  +,he  virtue  or  mischief  of  the  solution  to  the  soil 


10  POTTING    OF    ROSES. 

It  is  the  best  way  to  use  half  of  rotted  turf  and  half  of  rotted  da  *£ ; 
if  it  be  not  too  light  to  let  water  pass  freely,  add  a  little  turfy  peat, 
broken  through  a,  sieve  that  would  pass  a  hazel  nut.  Trim  the  roots, 
to  get  rid  of  all  bruises ;  and,  in  the  first  instance,  choose  plants,  the 
roots  of  which  are  within  a  moderate  compass,  for  pot  culture,  and 
are  well  taken  up.  Selec ;  pots  that  will  receive  the  roots  without 
much  cramping;  carefully  put  the  soil  between  and  among  the  fibres 
and  larger  roots ;  strike  the  pots  on  the  potting  table,  and  poke  the 
soil  down  so  as  to  be  firm. 

If  the  roses  be  dwarf,  follow  the  directions  about  pruning  at  once, 
and  let  them  be  placed  in  a  cold  frame,  watered,  to  settle  the  earth 
about  them,  and  covered  up.  This  should  be  done  in  the  Southern 
and  Middle  States  from  November  to  February,  when  those  for  forc- 
ing should  be  put  into  the  greenhouse,  gently  increased  in  tempera- 
ture, well  watered,  and  kept  growing  hard ;  any  buds  that  show 
should  be  removed,  and  they  should  be  allowed  to  complete  their 
growth,  and  then  be  plunged  in  the  open  ground,  and  there  the  wood 
be  permitted  to  ripen.  When  the  leaves  have  fallen,  and  the  wood  is 
fairly  ripe,  they  may  be  pruned,  by  removing  all  the  weak  shoots,  and 
shortening  the  strong  ones ;  the  balls  turned  out  to  examine,  and  if 
matted  with  roots,  pots  a  size  larger  be  given.  They  may  then  be 
placed  in  a  cold  frame,  plunged  to  their  rims,  until  the  period  you 
want  to  force  them.  They  will  flower  better  the  second  year  than 
they  could  have  flowered  the  first,  and  if  the  blooms  are  all  picked 
off  again  as  fast  as  they  show,  instead  of  being  allowed  to  perfect 
themselves,  the  growth  will  be  more  free ;  and  by  growing  hard  to 
complete  it  early,  and  leaving  them  out  again  to  ripen,  they  will  allow 
of  being  pruned  into  a  handsome  form,  being  carried  into  the  house 
sooner,  and  will  flower  most  abundantly,  instead  of  having  one  or  two 
sickly  shoots  with  their  miserable  half-starved  blooms.  At  the  end, 
they  will  have  as  many  as  you  please  to  leave  eyes  for,  pruning  them 
the  same  as  you  would  standards  or  bushes  out  of  doors,  and  the 
blooms  will  come  as  rich,  as  handsome,  and  as  well  colored  as  any  iu 
the  open  air.  Roses  may  then  be  forced  at  almost  any  season .  only 
they  ought  to  undergo  the  same  forcing  a  season  or  two  without 
being  allowed  to  'flower,  that  they  undergo  the  season  they  are  to  be 
forced  into  bloom.  And  this  will  answer  season  after  season  when 
they  are  once  well  established,  for  they  require  only  the  usual  shifts 


POTTING   Cf   ROSES.  41 

of  plants,  which  have  their  balls  matted  with  root ;  but  of  the  forcing, 
more  hereafter. 

Potting  for   Sho-w. 

As  it  is  at  length  the  fashion  to  show  roses  in  pots,  the  only  proper 
plan  of  showing  any  but  single 'blooms,  face  upward,  the  plan  of  pot- 
ting cannot  differ  from  those  potted  for  forcing.  Presuming  that  if 
they  are  late  roses  and  require  forcing,  they  will  be  treated  after  the 
plan  above  mentioned,  so  far  as  the  potting  is  concerned,  the  differ- 
ence between  what  the  perfectly  hardy  and  summer  or  autumn  bloom- 
ing roses  will  require  after  potting,  as  we  have  directed,  is  to  be  put- 
out  in  an  open  situation ;  and  if  standards,  they  should  be  fastened 
to  a  railing,  or  trellis,  as  well  as  being  plunged  in  their  pots,  that  the 
wind  may  not  disturb  them.  Here  they  may  be  protected  various 
ways :  a  mat  thrown  over  the  head  of  a  rose  protected  it,  though  no* 
a  very  hardy  one,  against  the  last  winter's  frost.  A  wisp  of  straw 
tied  at  one  end,  and  opened  cap-like  over  each  and  among  the  branches 
of  roses,  protected  them  a  good  deal,  and  probably,  had  they  not  been 
autumn  pruned,  might  have  protected  them  entirely  from  mischief, 
but  as  it  was,  some  of  the  pruned  branches  died  back,  though  the 
unpruned  ones  did  not. 

Potting  the  Small,   the  Smooth  Wooden,  and  Chinese  Varieties. 

Here,  from  the  first,  the  soil  should  be  one  third  rotted  dung,  one 
third  peat,  and  one  third  the  loam  of  rotten  turf.  In  this  stuff,  the 
most  delicate  will  succeed.  From  ^he  period  of  their  having  struck 
root,  they  can  hardly  do  wrong  if  potted  in  this  soil,  in  a  proper-sized 
pot,  with  ordinary  drainage.  Small  plants  should  be  placed  in  pots 
no  larger  than  the  roots  require  to  hold  them,  with  a  moderate  share 
of  earth  to  live  in.  This  kind  of  rose  should  be  kept  growing  in  a 
cool  frame  or  greenhouse,  or  pit,  with  not  much  moisture;  plenty  or 
air  in  dry  mild  days,  and  a  refreshing  shower  when  it  is  warm.  It  is 
safer  to  plunge  them  in  ashes,  if  you  can,  up  to  the  rims  of  their  pots : 
it  keeps  them  moist  longer  than  if  the  pot  is  exposed,  it  mostly  does, 
in  bad  weather;  and  though  it  perhaps  does  not  kill  "them,  it  makes 
them  weakly  for  some  time.  In  this  way,  they  may  grow  from  time 
to  time,  and  be  shifted  from  one  sized  pot  to  another,  requiring  only 


4:2  FORCING   OF   EARLY   ROSES. 

that  the  buds  should  be  plucked  off  directly  they  show,  sc  .ong  as  tha 
plant  is  wanted  to  grow  fast. 


FORCING  OF  EARLY  ROSES. 

.  THIS  art  consists  in  bringing  the  Rose,  by.  degrees,  out  of  its  season, 
as  we  have  half  explained  under  the  head  of  "  Potting  for  Forcing." 
We  know  that  a  Rose  can  be  potted  in  January,  and  made  to  produce 
flowers  in  May ;  but  those  who  wish  to  force  should  know  the  best 
way. 

A  Rose,  then,  for  early  forcing,  requires  three  seasons  to  be  per- 
fect. The  first  season,  it  should  be  put  into  a  greenhouse,  and 
from  thence  into  the  stove,  as  early  as  November.  It  is  sure  to  grow, 
no  matter  what  sort  it  is ;  and  let  it  grow  its  best,  but  pluck  off  the 
buds  if  it  have  any,  yet  it  should  not  be  drawn ;  this  can  be  managed 
two  or  three  ways,  but  it  requires,  to  prevent  drawing,  light  and  air. 
These  will  have  grown  pretty  well  as  large  as  they  can  grow,  by  the 
time  they  may  be  turned  out  and  plunged  in  the  open  air.  The  wood 
will  ripen  well  in  the  summer  time ;  and  in  October,  re-pot  them  into 
a  size  larger  pots ;  prune  them  by  taking  off  all  the  weak  shoots,  and 
all  the  least  valuable  of  those  in  each  other's  way ;  shorten  the  best 
wood  to  two  or  three  eyes,  thinning  the  inner  branches  all  that  may  be 
necessary  to  give  air,  light  and  freedom  to  the  new  wood.  Take  tljem 
into  the  greenhouse,  thence,  soon,  into  the  stove.  Let  the  bloom 
buds,  as  they  appear,  be  plucked  off,  and  the  growth  to  be  perfected 
again,  which  will  be  earlier  than  the  previous  season,  as  they  were  set 
growing  earlier.  Be  early  in  your  attendance  on  them,  when  they 
commence  growing,  so  as  to  remove  useless  buds,  instead  of  allowing 
them  to  form  useless  branches.  When  the  growth  is  completed,  re- 
move them  into  a  cold  frame,  to  be  kept  from  the  spring  frosts,  but 
where  they  can  have  all  the  fine  weather.  In  this  state,  they  may 
remain  till  they  can  safely  be  put  out  in  the  open  air,  plunged  into  the 
ground,  and  properly  fastened  to  protect  them  from  the  wind.  In 
September,  you  may  examine  the  balls  of  earth,  to  see  if  the  roots  have 
room;  if  n  atted  at^all,  give  them  anotner  change.  Prune  the  plants 


FORCING   LATER    ROSES.  43 

well,  as  before  removing  altogether  such  of  the  present  year's  shoots 
as  are  at  all  weakly,  and  shortening  all  the  best  to  two~ or  three  eyes. 
Let  them  now  be  taken  to  the  greenhouse,  or  conservatory,  or  a 
grapery,  or  all  in  turn ;  but  gradually  increase  the  temperature,  till,  by 
the  end  of  October,  they  may  go  into  the  forcing  house,  beginning  at 
the  temperature  the  house  was  that  they  came  from,  say  fifty  to  fifty- 
five,  and  continuing  it  till  they  are  fairly  growing ;  then  increasing  it 
to  sixty,  and  eventually  to  sixty-five ;  rubbing  off,  as  before,  all  useless 
shoots,  and  giving  plenty  of  air,  when  it  can  be  done  without  lowering 
the  temperature.  At  the  least  appearance  of  the  green  fly,  syringe  with 
plain  water ;  fumigate  at  night,  for  too  strong  a  smoke  would  all  but 
destroy  the  plants  and  incipient  blooms.  In  this  way,  you  will  be  clear 
of  the  pest  without  damage,  and  your  reward  will  be  a  fine  show  of 
blooms  on  every  rose  tree  ;  strong  growth,  healthy  foliage,  handsome 
plants,  and  all  that  can  be  desired. 


Forcing  Later  Roses. 

The  principle  on  which  the  early  forcing  is  conducted  must  be  carried 
out  in  full,  not  only  in  potting  the  plants  then  pruning,  but  also  in  the 
period  of  removing  them.  If  you  wish  those  a  month  later  to  succeed 
the  first,  put  them  into  the  house  a  month  later,  each  of  the  years. 
If  you  want  others  to  succeed  these  second,  put  them  into  the  house 
a  month  later  still  each  year.  .For  nothing  has  been  shown  yet  in  the 
way  of  pot  roses,  better  than  were  shown  several  years  ago,  and  all  of 
them  have  had  a  weakly  drawn  appearance,  and  have  been  anything 
but  creditable  to  the  taste  of  the  gardeners ;  for  they  have  been  staked 
all  over,  and  thin,  flimsy  roses  on  limp-lankey  stems,  bound  up  to  a 
thicket  of  unnatural  wood.  Now,  by  the  plan  we  have  been  recom- 
mending, the  plant  is  longer  growing,  stronger  in  its  wood,  shorter  in 
its  joints,  and  more  abundant  in  branches,  foliage,  and  flowers.  The 
ordinary  mode  of  forcing  contemplates  no  more  than  removing  a  plant 
from  out  of  doors  to  in-doors  in  one  year ;  so  that,  without  having  the 
advantage  of  premature  ripeness  for  two  seasons,  or  even  one,  it  has 
to  perfect  its  flowers  before  their  time,  by  great  excitement,  with  a 
root  hardly  established.  We  hold  that  a  Rose,  like  a  grape  vine,  can- 
not, after  bearing  in  the  usual  season,  be  changed  all  at  once  to  early 
forcing,  without  great  sacrifice  of  crop,  strength,  or  beauty.  The 


<4  THE   FORCING   OF   ROSES. 

fact  of  sudden  excitement  being  fatal  to  a  Rose  is  demonstra  /ed  easlry 
enough  by  the  result;  take  a  stong  plant,  well  established,  from  the 
cold  atmosphere  and  temperature  of  the  ground,  into  a  full-heated 
house,  and  every  bloom  will  be  blighted  in  its  incipient  state.  If  a 
decided  change  like  this  is  universally  fatal,  which  is  the  fact  every 
sudden  change,  and  all  approaches  to  it,  are  proportionally  mischiev- 
ous. We  do  not,  however,  mean  to  say  that  roses  cannot  be  forced 
in  a  single  season,  because  thousands  are  so  forced  and  sent  to  market ; 
and  the  usual  result  of  such  management  is,  three  or  four  long-drawn 
branches,  with  a  bud  or  two  at  the  end  of  one,  and  sometimes  of  two, 
with  scarcely  strength  to  open  into  a  flower.  There  are  exceptions 
to  the  choice  kinds  of  roses ;  in  these  remarks,  we  allude  only  to  gar- 
den roses.  The  China  kinds  are  of  a  different  nature,  always  growing 
and  blooming;  winter  and  summer,  if  they  are  kept  in  a  moderate 
temperature,  are  almost  alike  to  them,  and  those  which  partake  of 
their  habit. 

The  Forcing  of  Rose 3-7- the  D-warf  China  Kinds. 

This  family  has  scarcely  any  rest  in  pots,  and  under  protection,  it 
may  be  merely  kept  over  the  winter.  There  is  no  place  so  well 
adapted  for  them  as  a  cold  pit.  with  a  good  dry  bottom,  and  shelves 
near  the  glass ;  but  a  stout  shallow  box,  with  a  regular  garden  light 
on  it,  placed  high  and  dry  on  a  paved,  slated,  or  warm,  gravelled  bot- 
tom, makes  a  good  shift. 

The  China  Rose,  and  all  the  short-jointed,  smooth-barked  kinds  that 
are  like  them  in  habit,  will  strike,  bud,  graft,  grow,  and  bloom  any 
month  in  the  year.  The  only  thing  necessary,  is  to  have  plants  m  all 
stages,  and  there  will  never  be  any  want  of  flowers.  In  the  green- 
house, they  continue  growing  on,  and  blooming  at  all  times ;  but  they 
cannot  be  kept  too  cool  generally,  and  if  abundance  of  flower?  are 
required  on  a  plant,  it  must  have  a  previous  rest,  and  be  shifted  to  a 
warm  temperature,  and  if  matted  in  the  roots,  a  lagre  pot,  and  the  Iteat 
gradually  increased  until  it  will  bear  that  of  a  moderate  stove.  All 
the  new  growth  will  flower  about  the  same  time,  or  at  least;  suffi- 
cient of  it  to  well  decorate  the  plant.  Cuttings  may  be  st  uck  in  the 
spring,  planted  out  in  beds  six  inches  apart,  to  grow  a  little ;  the  topg 
may  be  pinched  off,  and  the  buds  taken  away  all  the  summer,  to  make 
them  bushy ;  and  tfcey  may  be  potted  up  with  a  compost  of  halfkmn, 


PROPAGATION    OF    THE    ROSE.  46 

a  fourth  peat  and  a  fourth  cow  dung ;  trimmed  a  little  into  shape, 
and  placed  in  the  shade  a  while.  In  September,  they  may  be  put  into 
their  frames,  covered  up  at  night  against  frost,  and  opened  in  mild 
weather,  until  the  gr  3und  freezes ;  they  may  then  be  removed,  a  few 
at  a  time,  into  an  increased  temperature,  and  about  a  month  apart. 
They  will  be  found  to  bloom  well,  and  succeed  each  other  admirably, 
all  through  the  winter  and  spring,  before  those  out  of  doors  can  even 
fairly  start  into  leaf;  the  only  care  required  being  to  syringe  them 
against  attack  of  insects,  and  if  that  does  not  keep  them  under,  fumi- 
gate them ;  and  see  that  they  never  suffer  from  want  of  water.  These, 
however,  like  the  Summer  Roses,  will  force  better  the  second  year 
than  the  first,  by  shifting  them  into  pots  a  size  larger,  trimming  the 
plants  into  a  proper  shape,  taking  away  the  weak  shoots,  letting  them 
rest,  and  giving  but  little  water  towards  the  end  of  the  summer,  ex- 
cept to  keep  them  from  actually  flagging;  putting  them  in  their  frames 
and  removing  them  into  heat,  as  before,  a  few  at  a  time,  and  a  month 
apart 


PROPAGATION  OF  THE  ROSE. 

THE  Rose  is  propagated  by  seeds,  by  cuttings,  by  layers,  by  suckers, 
and  by  budding  or  grafting. 

Propagation  from  Seed. 

This  mode  is  adopted  for  the  purpose  of  raising  new.  varieties  by 
crossing  different  kinds,  and  is  almost  exclusively  practised  by  profes- 
sional florists ;  it  is  also  employed  for  obtaining  Sweet  Briers  and 
stocks.  When  the  seed  is  gathered  in  the  autumn,  it  is  either  rub- 
bed or  washed  out  of  the  "  hips''  and  kept  in  dry  sand ;  or  the  hips 
are  laid  in  a  cool  room,  and  turned  over  from  time  to  time,  till  the 
shell  is  rotted;  the  seed  is  sown  in  the  succeeding  spring,  after  which 
it  will  come  up  the  same  year. 

Sowing  of  the  Seed. — Among  the  numerous  modes  of  sowing  the 
weed  of  the  Rose,  strange  as  it  may  seem,  the  very  plan  which  has 
Veen  adopted  for  fifty  perennials,  or  perhaps  more,  answered  as  com- 


4:6  PROPAGATION   OF   THE   ROSE. 

pletely  as  any.  For  b. stance,  Polyanthus  seed  and  Rose  seed  were 
sown  in  the  same  kind  of  soil,  loam  and  dung,  in  the  same  sort  of 
pan,  placed  in  the  same  garden  light,  watered  at  the  same  time ;  and, 
though  coming  up  at  a  different  period,  submitted  to  the  same  treat- 
ment in  other  respects;  shaded  from  the  same  noon- day  sun,  and, 
though  at  a  different  time,  pricked  out  into  pots,  four  or  five  in  a  pot, 
round  the  edge ;  kept  cool,  and  growing  right  on ;  and  when  the 
Polyanthuses  were  placed  in  their  single  pots,  the  Roses  were  also 
potted  in  theirs.  They  were  kept  dry  rather  than  otherwise  all  the 
ensuing  winter,  in  a  cold  frame,  with  their  neighbors,  well  protected 
against  frost ;  and  that  was  all. 

In  the  spring,  when  they  began  to  grow,  they  were  bedded  out  in 
rows,  in  a  shady  border, .  six  inches  apart,  and  the  rows  a  foot  apart, 
and  here  they  remained  another  season,  making  considerable  growth ; 
some  were  of  the  China  kind,  and  those  were  potted  up  and  kept 
growing ;  the  others  were  hooped  over  with  low  hoops,  which  kept 
the  covering  close  down  on  them  in  bad  weather,  and  there  were 
several  that  died  during  the  winter.  •  In  the  spring  they  were  pruned 
carefully,  so  far  as  to  remove  all  but  the  two  or  three  strongest  shoots, 
and  those  were  cut  about  half  way  back.  Several  bloomed  weakly, 
but  most  of  them  made  good  growth.  No  part  of  the  success,  how- 
ever, went  beyond  the  growth ;  not  half  a  dozen  came  at  all  double, 
and  though  there  were  some  bright  colors,  there  were  none  in  our 
estimation  worth  saving.  The  China  ones  were  rather  better,  but  not 
good  enough ;  so  that,  after  giving  a  few  of  the  best  another  year's 
chance,  every  vestige  was  given  or  thrown  away.  The  experiments 
followed  up  season  after  season  led  to  the  following  confirmed  prac- 
tice : — The  berries  were  dried  all  the  winter ;  they  were  then  bruised 
in  a  bag,  and  the  seeds  carefully  picked  out ;  a  slight  hot  bed  was 
made  up  as  if  for  annuals ;  the  soil  put  six  inches  deep  all  over,  half- 
rotted  turf  and  half  cow  dung,  raked  smooth,  and  the  seed  sown  evenly 
and  thinly  all  over— occasionally  moistened;,  the  seeds  came  up  well, 
and  were  shaded  ;  had  plenty  of  air  given,  and  the  usual  attendance . 
to  see  that  they  w«re  not  dry,  but  not  much  watered.  Here,  as  soon 
as  they  were  large  enough,  they  were  thinned  a  little,  by  carefully 
removing  a  few  wherever  they  were  too  thick,  which  removed  ones 
were  as  carefully  potted  off  and  kept  in  the  greenhouse.  They  had 
no  other  care  during  the  season  than  protecting  them  from  too  muoli 


PROPAGATION   OF   THE   ROSE.  47 

Bun ;  but  they  were  allowed  to  be  quite  open  on  mild  cloudy  days 
and  had  warm  showers  of  rain  at  all  opportunities.  Here  it  was 
found  necessary  to  fumigate  them  several  times  to  get  rid  of  the 
aphides,  which  partially  appeared  five  or  six  times  during  the  season, 
but  were  speedily  cleared  away.  The  lights  were  taken  off  towards 
autumn,  and  the  young  plants  looked  as  well  as  could  be  wished. 
At  the  period  when  frosts  were  expected,  they  were  removed  care- 
fully with  all  their  roots,  into  a  bed  made  of  the  same  compost,  and  a 
foot  deep ;  planted  a  foot  apart  every  way,  and  the  bed  being  four  feet 
wide,  took  four  across  it,  the  outer  ones  being  six  inches  from  the 
edge  of  the  bed.  The  same  precaution  was  taken  with  mats  and 
hoops  to  keep  off  heavy  falls  of  snow  or  hard  frosts,  and  they  were 
allowed  to  push  as  much  as  they  would,  without  pruning,  all  the  next 
season,  no  other  pains  .being  taken  than  to  throw  the  mat  over  when 
the  sun  was  distressingly  hot,  and  to  water  them  freely  on  dry  parch- 
ing weather,  every  night.  At  the  autumn,  they  were  replanted,  all 
the  weak  shoots  being  cut  out,  but  the  strong  ones  not  shortened  till 
spring.  Though  there  was  a  manifest  improvement  in  the  flowers 
each  season,  it  was  four  or  five  before  anything  like  the  quality  of 
some  present  roses  was  approached. 

This  practice  differs,  in  some  respects,  from  that  of  some  other 
nurserymen ;  we  have  seen  healthy  seedlings,  since  all  these  pains 
were  taken,  where  the  seeds  were  sown  out  of  doors  in  a  common 
bed,  raked  in  like  so  many  onions ;  came  up  like  so  many  weeds ; 
grew  well  and  stood  the  weather  without  even  a  shelter  from  hard 
frosts.  Some  may  have  been  killed  and  not  missed,  but  they  did  as 
well,  to  all  appearance,  as  those  more  tenderly  nursed. 

Hastening  the  Flowering    of  Seedlings. 

When  the  seedlings  come  up  in  May  or  June,  keep  them  .well  moist- 
ened, but  not  too  wet,  until  you  can  get  hold  of  them  well  to  pot  off. 
Put  one  each  into  small  pots,  and  let  them,  as  soon  as  they  are  estab- 
lished, be  placed  in  the  shade  out  of  doors;  but  the  greatest  care  must 
be  taken  to  prevent  the  attack  of  the  fly,  or  vermin  of  any  kind. 
They  must  be  looked  at  almost  daily,  and  upon  the  least  appearance 
of  any  insects,  you  must  remove  the  plants  under  cover,  where  you 
can  fumigate  and  syringe  them  regularly.  It  is  still  better,  if  you  have 


48  PROPAGATION   OF   THE   ROSE. 

frame  room,  to  put  them  in  when  potted,  because  it  gives  an  oppor- 
tunity of  shading,  of  keeping  off  too  much  wet,  protecting  them 
against  wind,  and  of  fumigating  without  the  least  difficulty,  when 
necessary.  They  should,  however,  seldom  have  the  glasses  on. 

After  the  seedlings  have  been  five  or  six  weeks  in  these  pots,  they 
may  be  bedded  out,  in  rich  beds  of  loam  and  dung,  without  disturbing 
the  balls ;  they  should  be  about  a  foot  apart,  in  beds  of  four  feet  wide; 
by  planting  within  six  inches  of  the  side  of  the  bed,  four  rows  will  go 
in,  and  they  will  here  grow  rapidly.  Before  the  close  of  the  budding 
season,  many  will  have  grown  quite  large  enough  to  bud  from ;  and 
the  most  promising  may  be  cut  back,  and  three  or  four  buds  put  on 
remarkably  strong  stocks.  Select  a  strong  branch  for  budding  on, 
and  at  first,  you  must  let  some  portion  of  the  'branch  beyond  the  bud 
be  left  on  to  grow ;  a  very  small  shoot  beyond  the  bud  will  do  to 
insure  the  growth.  These  buds  will  strike  off  vigorously  the  next 
season,  and  make  considerable  growth ;  but  before  the  bud  has  shot 
far,  cut  the  stock  away  everywhere  but  the  portions  budded  on.  The 
growth  they  will  make  this  summer  on  strong  stocks  will  insure  their 
Uoom  the  next  season;  and,  as  the  real  object  is  to  see  if  the  Rose  be 
good  for  anything,  they  should  not  be  pruned,  except  so  far  as  to  cut 
away  weak  branches  altogether ;  by  leaving  the  full  length  of  the 
strong  shoots,  the  blooms  will  be  hastened. 

In  the  mean  time,  those  in  the  bed  may  be  treated  as  directed ;  and 
though  not  generally  the  case  under  the  present  management,  they 
have  bloomed  these  years  on  their  own  bottoms,  though  there  were 
a  great  number  much  later  than  the  third  year,  and  some  even  went 
to  the  fifth.  This  mode  of  budding  the  promising  seedlings  hastens 
the  certainty  of  bloom  very  much,  as  it  is  very  rare  indeed  that  they 
mis*,  coming  the  third  year.  If  they  are  worth  propagating,  the 
budding  greatly  increases  the  quantity  of  wood  to  work  from.  If,  on 
the  contrary,  they  turn  out  good  for  nothing,  the  instant  you  discover 
It,  cut  away  all  the  wood,  and  the  stocks  will,  in  all  probability,  grow 
in  time  for  budding  other  sorts  upon  the  same  season  you  discover 
the  deficiency  of  those  already  worked.  In  this  way,  without  incur- 
ring much  trouble,  you  may  satisfy  yourself  as  to  the  quality  of  seed- 
lings for  a  certainty  the  third  year ;  therefore,  you  should  provide 
yourself  with  stocks  for  that  purpose,  whenever  you  sow  seedlings. 
For  China  sorts,  you  should  have  some  stocks  of  the  common  China., 


PROPAGATION   OF   THE    ROSE.  48 

or  Boursault,  or  the  Dog  Rose,  in  good-sized  pots,  and  well  estab- 
lished; for  they,  may  be  budded  later,  protected  better,  and*  indeed 
some  of  the  seedlings  which  partake  much  of  the  China  are  tender, 
and  really  require  protection  from  the  frost. 

Retarding  the   Flowering  of  the   Rose. 

The  most  simple  method  of  retarding  the  flowering  of  the  Provence 
and  Moss  Roses,  so  as  to  have  the  plants  in  bloom  late  in  autumn,  is 
to  cut  off  the  tops  of  the  shoots  produced  in  the  spring,  just  before 
they  begin  to  show  their  flower  buds ;  the  effect  of  this  treatment  will 
be  to  cause  the  plants  to  throw  out  fresh  shoots,  which  will  bloom 
later,  according  to  the  period  in  which  the  operation  is  performed. 

It  may  also  be  done  by  transplanting  the  bushes  early  in  the  spring, 
as  soon  as  they  have  formed  their  buds,  which  should  be  cut  off.  The 
roots  must  not  be  allowed  to  dry  before  they  are  put  into  the  earth 
again;  and  they  will  require  artificial  watering  if  the  season  should  be 
dry,  to  make  them  flower  late  in  the  fall. 

Propagation  "by  Cuttings. 

When  the  earliest  shoots  of  the  China  Rose  are  about  four  inches 
long,  cut  them  off  close  to  the  old  wood,  plant  them  in  pots  half  filled 
with  soil,  and  plunge  them  in  a  warm  situation,  placing  over  the  pot 
a  flat  piece  of  glass,  to  exclude  the  cold  air ;  the  glass  should  be  wiped 
occasionally.  Thus  treated,  they  will  make  blooming  plants  by  autumn. 

Indian  Roses,  and  climbing  kinds,  are  also  easily  propagated  by 
cuttings  and  slips,  protecting  them  as  above,  or  by  a  hand  glass,  when 
the  climate  is  cold. 

Propagation   by  Suckers 

Many  roses,  indeed  most  of  them,  growing  on  their  own  roots, 
nstead  of  by  grafting  on  a  stock,  constantly  spread  at  the  roots,  and 
oranches  force  their  way  up,  much  to  the  annoyance,  sometimes,  of 
the  men  in  charge  of  the  rosary.  In  the  spring  months,  their  suckers 
should  be  looked  for,  and  when  found,  they  should  be  taken  off  at 
once,  far  enough  under  ground  to  get  a  piece  of  root  with  them. 
These  should  be  replanted  instantly  on  the  removal ;  but  if  a  piece  be 
3 


50  PROPAGATION   OF   THE   ROSK. 

planted  out,  and  devoted  to  propagation,  the  proper  method  is  to  dig 
up  the'plants  in  autumn,  tracing  the  roots  as  far  as  they  go,  and  tak- 
ing the  portions  whic  i  have  been  growing  above  ground  out  at  the 
same  time.  Some  kinds  will  have  half  a  dozen,  or  more,  perfect  plants, 
which  have  been  formed  by  the  spreading  at  the  root,  and  the  end 
growing  up  through  the  surface.  These  suckers  should  be  trimmed 
and  planted  carefully,  at  such  distance  as  the  sizes  warrant ;  generally 
in  rows  a  yard  apart,  and  the  plants  eighteen  inches  from  each  other. 
Here  they  have  to  be  cut  down  in  spring  to  within  three  or  four  eyes 
of  the  ground. 

Propagation  "by  Layers. 

The  Eose  will  propagate  from  layers.  To  do  this,  some  merely  select 
a  lower  branch,  and,  bending  the  wood  sharp  between  two  joints,  peg 
that  down  under  ground  in  autumn ;  it  will  root  well  by  the  following 
fall.  Others  cut  a  notch  in  the  wood,  on  the  upper  side,  which  makea 
the  bend  sharper ;  but  there  is  more  danger  of  breaking  it.  Another 
method  is,  to  run  a  knife  through  the  wood,  so  as  to  split  it,  and  then 
give  the  wood  a  little  twist ;  but  most  of  the  sorts  will  root  if  only 
pegged  under  the  surface.  That,  however,  is  rarely  resorted  to ;  and 
when  it  is  considered  what  facilities  for  propagation  are  offered  other- 
wise, it  is  no  wonder.  The  laying  should  be  done  as  soon  as  the 
wood  has  ripened,  and  the  pegs  to  be  used  should  be  like  a  miniature 
hooked  walking  stick,  which  it  is  easy  to  form  out  of  any  branch  of 
wood.  This  hook  is  thrust  into  the  ground  firmly,  to  hold  fast  the 
whole  winter  and  summer  season. 

In  dry  weather,  the  layers  should  be  watered,  as  the  trees  them- 
eelves,  or  bushes,  frequently  prevent  the  rain  from  coming  near  tho 
surface,  where  the  branch  is  pegged  down,  and  they  would  in  such 
cases  have  no  encouragement  to  root.  In  the  autumn  of  the  next  year, 
examine  them  all  before  they  are  cut  off  from  the  parent  root,  and  if 
rooted,  of  which  there  will  be  little  doubt,  cut  the  new  plant  away, 
with  all  the  new  root;  and  in  planting  it  out  in  another  place,  shorten 
the  portion  above  ground  to  half  its  length;  and  at  pruning  time,  m 
the  spring,  cut  it  down  within  three  or  four  eyes  of  the  ground,  in  order 
that  it  may  form  a  bush.  • 


PROPAGATION    OF    THE    ROSE.  5t 

Layers  of  seme  roses  strike  almost  immediately  ;  a,  d  from  this 
facility,  it  is  a  common  practice  to  lay  them  all  over  a  bed  by  pegging 
down  the  branches  on  the  surface,  at  small  distances,  and  thus  cover 
a  whole  space,  which  have  rooted  at  almost  every  joint.  The  flowers, 
in  such  cases,  are  very  strong ;  but  a  bush  thus  treated,  and  every 
branch  layered,  would  cut  up  into  an  immense  number  of  plants. 

Propagation  "by  Budding   on   Briers. 

We  marry 

A  gentle  scion  on  the  wildest  stock, 
And  make  conceive  a  bark  of  baser  kind 
By  bud  of  nobler  race  ;  this  is  art 
Which  does  mend  nature — change  it  rotting ;  but 
The  art  i'self  is  nature.  SHAK3PBABR 

There  is  no  process  in  the  art  of  Practical  Gardening  more  interest- 
ing, nor  the  fruits  of  which  are  more  gratifying  to  an  amateur,  than 
budding.  The  theory  is  this :  At  the  base  of  the  leaf  is  a  small  bud, 
which,  after  the  leaf  falls  away  from  it,  becomes  prominent,  and  event- 
ually, if  left  on  the  tree,  makes  a  branch.  By  taking  a  leaf  off  with 
part  of  the  bark,  this  incipient  bud  comes  with  it,  and  by  inserting 
this  bark  under  the  bark  of  another  rose  tree,  say  one  of  these  com- 
mon briers,  it  unites  as  if  it  were  originally  a  part  of  the  brier  itself) 
but  the  bud  retains  all  the  character  of  the  one  it  came  from,  and  is 
not  changed,  in  the  smallest  degree  by  the  transfer  from  its  own  to 
another  stock.  This  is  the  fact  upon  which  all  propagation  by  bud- 
ding is  founded ;  and,  therefore,  we  L  ive  two  leading  points  to  consider 
in  setting  about  this  operation. 

First,  we  must  have  the  green  bark  of  the  stock,  into  which  the 
buds  are  to  be  inserted,  rise  easily,  which  it  does  all  the  while  the 
branch  is  green  and  growing ;  and,  secondly,  we  must  wait  until  the 
bud,  small  and  almost  imperceptible  as  it  is  at  the  base  of  the  leaf,  is 
old  enough  to  be  removed  with  safety.  In  a  general  w  ay,  the  buds 
of  Summer  Ro^s  are  not  ready  till  nearly  mid-summer,  and  the  bark 
will  not  easily  rise  from  the  wood  of  the  stock  much  after  that.  The 
budding  season  may,  however,  be  called  from  the  middle  of  June  to 
the  middle  of  August,  and  not  very  much  longer.  What  is  meant  by 
the  bark  easily  rising  is,  easily  leaving  the  wood,  so  that  it  would  be 
easy  to  peel  a  branch  by  stripping  the  bark  off. 


52  PROPAGATION   OF   THE   PvOSE. 

The  first  thing,  then,  to  look  to,  is  to  obtain  >,  -anches  of  the  rose 
tree  from  which  we  want  to  produce  other  plants.  If  you  obtain 
these  branches  before  you  are  ready  to  use  them,  plant  the  thick  end 
in  the  ground,  and  do  not  let  the  sun  come  near  them,  as  it  would  soon 
destroy  them ;  but  they  ought  not  to  be  an  hour  longer  than  you  can 
help  unused.  Get  some  bass  matting  for  ties,  or  very  coarse  worsted, 
which  some  prefer,  because  it  gives  way  better  if  the  bud  swells,  and 
will  stand  the  weather  longer.  With  a  very  sharp  knife,  called  a 
"budding  knife,"  if  you  have  one,  and,  if  not,  any  other,  and  a  thin  piece 
of  hard  wood  or  ivory,  like  a  diminutive  paper  knife,  you  may  go  to 
work.  The  knife  is  to  slit  the  bark  down  to  the  wood  wherever  you 
mean  to  put  in  the  bud,  and  the  piece  of  hard  wood  or  ivory,  with  a 
sort  of  blunt  edge  like  a  paper  knife,  is  to  divide  the  bark  from  the 
*  wood  by  running  it  along  under  the  bark,  on  each  side  of  the  slit. 

Stocks  for  Budding  and  Grafting. — The  great  call  for  these  articles 
has  made  it  somewhat  difficult  to  procure  them  anywhere  but  at  the 
nurseries ;  and  when  you  consider  you  can  pick  and  choose  at  some 
price  or  other,  the  nurseries  are  the  best  place  for  an  amateur  to  pur- 
chase. In*  some  parts  of  the  country,  the  briers  are  plentiful,  but  they 
are  mostly  in  hedge  rows,  and  it  is  somewhat  perilous  work  to  grub 
them  up  without  permission ;  nevertheless,  many  men  get  their  living 
by  collecting  these  for  the  nursery  grounds.  The  stocks  should  be 
procured  at  the  fall  of  the  leaf,  and  be  straight,  strong,  well  rooted  and 
compact.  These  should  be  placed  in  rows,  eighteen  in*,  hes  apart  from 
each  other,  and  three-foot  or  three-foot-six-inch  vacancies  between 
the  rows ;  they  should  be  staked,  or,  which  is  better,  stakes  should 
be  put  at  equal  distances,  and  a  rail  along  them,  to  which  rail  all  the 
stocks  should  be  fastened  by  strong  ties,  the  whole  being  well  trodden 
in  after  the  manner  that  new  roses  are  planted. 

The  preparation  of-  the  roots  should  be  in  all  resj.  ects  the  same,  and 
the  stocks  are  generally  shortened  before  you  get  them  to  the  height 
their  growth  best  adapts  them  for.  Here  they  remain  till  they  begin 
to  push  in  spring,  when  all  the  lower  buds  must  be  rubbed  off,  leav- 
ing the  three  or  four  that  are  highest  up  the  stock  to  see  which  will 
grow  best.  It  will  be  found  that  some  of  these  stocks  have  died 
down  to  a  considerable  distance ;  but  as  they  are  not  of  the  slightest 
importance  above  the  top  growing  bud,  you  may,  with  a  strong  knife, 
cut  right  down  to  the  bud,  or  leave  it  till  afte~  the  summer  growth  of 


PROPAGATION    OF   THE    ROSE.  53 

the  buds  has  considerably  advanced.  If  you  have  one  good  branch, 
it  will  do,  but  two  on  opposite  sides  are  better,  because  you  can  work 
both,  and  be  safe  if  one  fails.  Several  times,  you  must  go  over  these 
Btocks,  to  rub  off  the  fresh  buds  that  will  be  springing  out  on  differeLt 
parts  of  them,  where  they  are  not  wanted ;  and  two  good  buds'  near 
the  top  are  all  you  need  save.  You  have  to  remember  that  all  the 
strength  of  the  plant  will  go  into  these  two  branches,  if  the  others  are 
taken  f  way ;  but  that  every  leaf  that  is  allowed  to  grow,  besides  those 
wanted,  takes  greatly  from  their  strength,  on  which  strength  the  value 
of  the  plant  entirely  depends. 

If  the  top  shoots  or  buds  happen  to  be  weak  in  the  first  instance, 
compared  with  some  lower  down  the  stock,  it  is  better  to  rub  off  the 
.op,  and  lose  a  little  height  of  the  stock,  than  trust  to  dwindling 
tranches,  so  that,  in  this  case,  your  two  branches  to  save  might  be 
half  way  down  the  stem ;  and  it  is  better,  in  such  case,  to  down  at 
once  to  it,  that  the  top  may  be  no  more  trouble,  and  may  not  mislead 
you,  in  going  over  them  a  second  time,  to  cut  or  pull  out  your  best 
branches ;  for  the  top,  so  long  as  you  leave  it  on,  would  be  throwing 
out  its  green  shoots ;  and  being  the  same  height  as  the  general  run  of 
them,  nothing  is  more  likely.  All  that  is  to  be  done,  besides  keeping 
the  stocks  from  throwing  out  other  branches,  is  to  cut  away  from  the 
roots  any  suckers  that  may  come  up,  and  which  distress  the  stock 
nearly  as  much  as  the  dwarf  branches.  The  ground,  of  course,  is  to 
be  kept  clear  of  weeds  until  mid-summer,  which  is  the  season  for  bud- 
ding, and  which  is  the  next  subject  for  consideration. 


Being  thus  provided,  go  to  your  stocks  with  your  branches  of  the 
trees  you  want  to  propagate,  in  your  apron  ;  for  you  ought  to  have 
front  pockets,  and  the  bass  matting  should  be  tucked  in  the  apron 


04  PROPAGATION    OF    THE    KOSE. 

string ;  take  hold  of  the  stock  firmly,  and  shorten  both  the  branches 
to  a  foot,  or  even  less ;  then  with  your  knife,  cut  a  slit  in  the  bark, 
within  half  an  inch  of  the  base  of  the  branch  upward,  and  on  the  upper 
side,  an  inch  and  a  half  long ;  about  the  middle  of  this  slit,  make  a 
small -cut  across;  then  with  your  ivory,  or  thin  wood — or  more 
properly,  if  you  have  it,  with  the  handle  of  your  budding  knife — raise 
ap  the  bark  on  both  sides ;  then  take  the  branch  of  your  rose  tree 


from  whicL  you  take  your  buds,  and  with  your  sharp  knife,  shave  out 
of  the  branch  a  thin  piece  of  the  wood,  beginning  half  an  inch  below 
a  leafj  and  taking  the  knife  along  to  come  out  half  an  inch  above  the 
leaf.  This  small  bit  has  to  be  inserted  under  the  bark  on  both  sides, 
bringing  the  leaf,  which  is  where  the  bud  is,  to  the  exact  place  where 
the  cross  cut  is  ;  when  it  is  neatly  inserted,  take  your  piece  of  matting 


and  place  the  middle  of  it  across  the  slit  just  under  the  leaf;  pass  it 
under,  and  cross  it  backward  and  forward  along  the  branch  till  the 
bark  is  completely  tied  down  close,  and  only  the  leaf  and  bud  exposed 


PROPAGATION    OF  THE    ROSE.  65 

As  the  weather  at  this  time  is  often  very  hot,  it  is  a  good  plan  to  tie 
a  bunch  of  loose  moss  over  all,  and  water  the  moss  occasionally  the 
first  few  days,  because  it  keeps  off  the  burning  sun,  even  if  dry,  and 
greatly  preserves  the  newly-disturbed  bark.  It  will  be  easily  seen 
that  the  quicker  this  operation  is  performed  the  better;  because,  if  the 
sap  of  the  bud,  or  that  of  the  raised  bark,  has  time  to  dry,  the  union 
of  the  one  with  the  other  cannot  be  completed  with  any  degree  of  cer- 
tainty. 

The  bark  being  damped  immediately  by  the  application  of  wet  moss 
will  hardly  undo  any  mischief  already  done ;  so  that  a  sharp  knife,  a 
clean  cut,  and  rapid  action  are  necessary,  and  can  hardly  fail.  If  the 
bud  is  cut  out  of  the  branch  too  thick,  and  too  much  wood  is  taken 
out  with  the  bark  and  bud,  the  wood  ought  to  be  cut  thinner,  or  pulled 
out  from  the  bark  of  the  bud  altogether ;  but  there  is  danger  in  taking 
out  the  wood ;  for  it  will  occasionally  bring  out  the  germ  of  the  bud 
with  it.  The  effect  of  this  would  be,  that  nothing  would  indicate 
outside  what  was  wrong,  but  the  bud  would  not  grow.  It  would 
look  as  green,  as  fresh,  and  as  completely  united,  as  if  the  germ  were 
there.  On  this  account,  you  may  omit  the  practice  of  taking  the  little 
bit  of  wood  from  the  inside  of  the  bud,  and  with  the  greatest  success. 
This  operation  should  be  carried  through  all  the  stocks,  if  you 
have  plenty  of  buds  on  each  of  the  branches ;  because  two  buds  will 
make  a  head  sooner  than  one,  and  if  you  choose  to  do  so,  you  may 
put  two  different  sorts  on  the  same  stock.  In  this  case,  you  must  be 
particular  about  having  two  of  about  the  same  habit;  for  a  fast-growing 
one  would  soon  deprive  a  slow-growing  one  of  all  the  necessary  nour- 
ishment; and,  besides  this,  it  would  grow  incongruously,  and  would  not 
be  controllable.  On  the  other  hand,  if  you  have  two  of  similar  habit, 
and  opposite  colors,  it  may  be  made  a  very  pretty  object.  But  the 
great  value  of  this  delicate,  though  simple  operation,  is  to  make  an 
old  China,  or  other  strong-growing  Rose,  long  established,  change  its 
face  altogether.  Many  kinds  of  roses  may  be  budded  on  such  a  tree; 
by  selecting  all  the  strong-growing  branches  of  the  present  year's 
growth,  putting  a  different  bud  in  each,  and  cutting  all  the  other  parts 
of  the  tree  away,  leaving  the  novelties  alone  to  grow;  or  the  buds 
may  be  all  of  the  same  sort,  so  it  be  some  choice  kind ;  but  different 
colored  roses  have  the  best  effect. 

Spring  Budding  .--But  one  of  the  most  sure  and  expeditious  method* 


56 


PROPAGATION    OF  THE    RC«E. 


is  that  called  "  spring  budding,"  by  which  the  bark  of  the  stock,  as 
early  in  the  season  as  it  will  separate  from  the  wood,  is  cut  like  the. 
letter  T  inverted,  (thus,  £, )  as  shown  by  a,  in  the  adjoining  figure ; 


wnereas,  in  "  summer  budding,"  it  forms  a  T  in  its  erect  position. 
The  horizontal  edges  of  this  cut  in  the  stock,  and  of  the  "shield  bark" 
containing  the  bud,  should  be  brought  into  the  most  perfect  contact, 
as  denoted  by  £>/  because  the  union  of  the  bark  in  spring  takes 
place  by  means  of  the  ascent  of  the  sap ;  whereas,  in  summer  budding, 
it  is  supposed  to  be  caused  by  its  descent  The  parts  should  then 
immediately  be  bound  with  water-proof  bass,  (c,)  without  applying 
either  grafting  clay  or  grafting  wax.  The  buds  may  be  inserted  either 
in  a  healthful  branch,  or  in  a  stock  near  the  ground.  In  general,  two 
buds  are  sufficient  for  one  stock,  and  these  should  be  of  the  same 
variety;  as  two  sorts  seldom  grow  with  equal  vigor.  The  bass 
ligature,  which  confines  the  bud,  may  be  removed,  if  the  season  be 
moist,  in  a  month  after  budding ;  but  if  it  be  hot  and  dry,  not  for  six 
weeks  at  least.  As  soon  as  the  inserted  buds  show  signs  of  vegetation, 
the  stock  or  branch  containing  them  should  be  pruned  down,  so  as  to 
leave  one  or  two  buds  or  shoots  above.  If  the  stock  is  allowed  to 
have  a  leading  shoot  above  the  inserted  buds,  and  this  shoot  is  not 
shortened,  the  buds  inserted  probably  will  not  show  many  signs  of 
vegetation  for  several  weeks. 


PROPAGATION   BY   GRAFTING. 


57 


PROPAGATION  BY   GRAFTING. 

THIS  is  by  means  so  simple  an  operation,  though  not  a  very  difficult 
matter;  nevertheless,  the  pith  in  the  centre  of  the  wood  is  against  it, 
as  well  as  the  discrepancy  in  general  between  the  stock  and  the  scion. 
The  act  of  grafting  is  adopted  for  the  same  purpose  as  that  of  budding 
— to  propagate  particular  varieties.  It  is  not  so  safe  nor  so  certain  a 
mode  as  budding,  but  in  the  spring,  there  is  no  other  means ;  and  as  in 
the  purchase  of  new  roses,  there  is  generally  a  good  deal  of  ripe  wood 
that  must  be  cut  off,  those  who  have  stocks  that  are  fit  for  grafting 
frequently  adopt  it.  There  are  various  modes  of  performing  this 
operation ;  one  or  two  ways  are  applicable  to  the  old  wood  of  the 
stock ;  other  modes  are  adapted  to  the  last  year's  branches.  In  the 
one  case,  a  cleft  is  made  in  the  stump  of  the  stock,  and  the  wood 
belonging  to  the  new  Rose  to  be  inserted  is  cut  in  an  angular  form  to 
fit  it.  It  is  then  bound  in  its  place  by  bass  matting,  or  some  other  tie, 


and  the  joins  covered  with  grafting  clay,  or,  which  is  more  generally 
used  for  roses,  grafting  wax ;  a  composition  formed  of  beeswax  and 
resin,  in  equal  parts,  and  a  little  tallow,  to  render  it  easily  fusible 
at  a  low  heat,  because  the  real  object  of  this  wa.c  is  to  melt  at  a 
heat  which  will  not  hurt  the  trees,  but  that  will,  on  cooling,  be  suf- 
ficiently hard  to  keep  in  its  place,  and  bear  even  the  heat  of  the  sun 
without  running  away. 

There  are  various  modes  of  grafting  the  smaller  branches  of  the 
stock ;  that  is  to  say,  the  branches  of  the  last  year's  growth.  One 
mode  is,  to  o-t  the  branch  down  to' two  inches  in  length,  and  then  cut 


58 


PROPAGATION    BY    GRAFTING. 


this  short  piece  down  the  middle,  cutting  out  the  inside  of  the  wood 
sloping  outward,  so  as  to  receive  a  wedge-shaped  graft,  which  should 
he  about  the  same  size,  if  possible ;  cut  this  into  the  shape  of  a  wedge, 
and  insert  it  in  the  stock,  making  as  complete  a  fit  as  possible,  and  be 
careful  that  the  bark  of  both  scion  and  stock  exactly  join  on  one 
side,  whether  it  reach  the  other  side  or  not;  for,  unless  the  barks 
meet  on  o  le  side,  it  will  be  impossible  to  unite.  It  will  frequently 
happen  that  the  scion  is  smaller  than  the  stock;  the  one  must  be  used 
as  you  have  got  it,  the  other  you  must  get  as  good  as  you  can ;  and 
when  you  have  it,  make  the  best  of  it.  Others,  in  grafting,  cut  the 
branch  of  the  stock  into  a  wedge,  and  the  scion  is  cut  to  receive  it. 
The  effect  is  the  same  in  the  end,  if  well  done,  and  in  good  grafting,  the 
ioint  is  soon  lost  in  the  growth. 

There  is  one  advantage  in  grafting  in  spring :  If  it  takes,  you  may 
have  roses  the  same  year,  and  thus  a  season  is  saved ;  but,  if  any  of 
them  fail,  the  stock  will  grow,  if  the  graft  does  not ;  and,  of  course,  if 
the  graft  does  not  grow,  you  must  allow  the  top  branches  of  the  stock 
to  grow,  and  rub  off  all  other  buds,  just  as  if  it  had  not  been  grafted. 
The  China  kinds  will  graft  at  any  time  of  the  year,  but  they  must  be  on 
China  stocks,  or  stocks  partaking  of  the  nature  of  China  stocks.  It  is 
only  the  deciduous  kind  of  stock  which  is  confined  to  the  spring 
grafting,  and  it  is  not  uncommon  to  see  the  solid  stock  of  a  large  size 
cleft  to  make  room  for  a  small  bit  of  choice  wood ;  they  holding  it  to 


be  a  waste  to  throw  away  the  prunings  of  the  Rose,  and  giving  much 
attention  to  the  profitable  use  of  them. 

Root  Grafting. — It  will  bfl  always  found  in  a  plantation  of  roses  that 


PROPAGATION   BY   GRAFTING.  59 

suckers  spring  up  in  abundance  from  the  roots;  these  would  soon  rob 
the  head  or  worked  part  of  a  great  portion  of  its  nourishment ;  but 
these  suckers  are  useful  when  taken  off  with  a  good  portion  of  root  to 
them,  because  there  is  not  a  more  certain  mode  of  propagating  the 
Ro33  than  neatly  grafting  a  piece  of  the  wood  of  a  Rose  on  the  root 
just  under  the  surface ;  the  union  is  almost  certain,  if  at  all  dexterously 


done.  The  proper  mode  of  doing  this,  is  to  pull  up  the  sucker,  which 
will  expose  the  root  some  distance,  and  take  off  a  good  piece  of  root 
with  it  from  the  parent  stock ;  cut  the  sucker  completely  off  to  the 
part  that  was  on  the  surface  of  the  ground ;  get  a  piece  of  the  wood 
of  a  Rose  as  nearly  the  size  of  the  root  as  possible,  cut  a  slit  in  the 
root,  making  both  cuts  smooth  and  flat  inside;  then  cut  the  scion 
wedge  fashion,  and  make  the  bark  fit  it  even  with  the  outer  cuticle  of 
the  root ;  tie  them  well  together,  and  plant  them  so  that  the  entire 
graft  goes  under  the  surface  of  the  ground.  These  root  grafts  are 
excellent  for  dwarf  plants,  for  they  are  worked  actually  under  ground, 
and  when  well  done  they  make  excellent  plants.  Grafting  the  Rose  is 
not  chosen  before  budding ;  but,  as  there  is  always  a  good  deal  of 
waste  wood  in  a  rose  tree  that  has  to  come  off  in  spring,  many 
grafting  a  chance ;  and  of  grafting,  root  grafting  is  one  of  the  mo 
effective.  There  is  never  any  scarcity  of  roots  among  a  collection  of 
roses ;  forking  the  ground  a  little  brings  up  these  straggling  shoots ; 
and  so  that  there  be  a  good  piece  of  healthy  stuff,  there  is  no  difficulty 
in  making,  a  good  job.  There  is  no  occasion  to  clay  over  the  join  in 
•  root  grafting. 

There  is  another  advantage  in  root  grafting :  it  is  applicable  with 
the  C  lina  kinds  all  the  season  through,  if  you  make  sure  of  a  healthy 
root ;  nor  is  there  any  difficulty  in  obtaining  proper  roots  for  the  pur*- 


60  PRUNING. 

pose.  Wherever  a  sucker  comes  up  through  the  ground,  use  a  fork  and 
take  up  as  much  root  as  you  think  suck  a  plant  ought  to  have ;  the 
operation  must  be  performed  quickly,  and  with  a  very  sharp  knife, 
for  the  root  must  not  dry  under  the  operation,  and  they  must  be 
planted  directly.  The  graft  need  not  be  put  in  wedge  fashion ;  any 
other  way  is  as  good,  if  the  join  be  smooth,  well  fitted,  and  tied  firmly. 
But  we  do  not  recommend  grafting  of  any  kind  as  the  best  means  of 
propagation.  Nothing  is  so  simple  as  budding,  and  scarcely  anything 
so  efficacious.  The  propagators  of  roses  by  root  grafting  are  very  apt 
to  grow  the  suckers  in  pots  for  a  considerable  time,  so  that  they  get 
completely  established  after  being  broken  away  from  the  parent  root, 
before  they  are  submitted  to  the  operation  of  grafting,  and  this 
becomes  then  almost  a  matter  of  certainty ;  whereas  we  have  known 
the  roots  of  suckers  bleed  so  much,  that  they  have  lost  the  roct, 
and  have  been  indebted  to  the  graft  striking  root  for  not  losing  it 
altogether. 


PRUNING. 

THE  principal  objects  to  be  attained  by  pruning  roses  are — first,  to 
compensate,  by  reducing  the  part  to  be  nourished,  for  the  loss  of  the 
root  that  has  to  nourish  it,  which  loss,  greater  or  lesser,  is  always 
suffered  by  removal.  The  proper  way  to  do  this  pruning  depends 
much  on  the  state  of  the  plant  when  you  have  planted  it.  If  it  be 
very  bushy,  cut  away  all  the  weather  branches,  leave  not  more 

,n  three  or  four  of  the  best  of  the  shoots,  and  shorten  even  those 
n  to  a  few  eyes.  If  you  wish  the  plant  to  continue  dwarf  and 

shy,  you  may  cut  down  to  the  last  eye  or  two  of  the  new  wood, 
but  leave  no  thin  half-grown  shoots  on  at  any  rate.  If  the  plant  is  a 
matured  bush,  with  numerous  branches,  and  pretty  strong  generally, 
shorten  the  new  wood  down  to  two  eyes,  which  will  show  what  more 
you  need  do.  It  may  be  found  that  you  have  then  a  great  many 
more  branches  left  on  than  you  require;  cut  one  half  of  them  close 
off,  and  that  half  must  be  the  thinnest ;  but  it  may  be  that  the  plant 
will  be  improved  by  cutting  sjme  of  the  main  branches  clear  away, 


very 

«. 
i 


PRUNING.  61 

and  all  that  are  on  it ;  for  rose  trees  and  bushes,  like  everything  else, 
are  easily  spoiled  by  bearing  too  much  wood,  and  being  over-crowded. 
The  regular  Combing  Rose  is  often  required  to  make  as  much  show 
as  possible  the  first  year  of  planting ;  but  unless  they  are  removed 
with  the  greatest  possible  care,  they  ought  to  be  cut  almost  to  the 
ground,  and  thinned  out  also.  None  but  the  strongest  wood  ought 
to  be  allowed  to  remain  on  the  plant,  and  if  this  be  not  of  quite  first 
rate  excellence,  it  is  far  better  to  cut  out  all  the  weak  branches,  and 
cut  down  the  strong  ones  to  two  eyes  each. 

Pruning   Standards, 

With  regard  to  Standard  Roses,  we  cannot  help  thinking,  from  all 
we'  have  seen  practised,  that  a  large  portion  of  them  are  grown  alto- 
gether upon  a  wrong  principle.  Standard  trees,  to  be  handsome, 
should  be  as  wide  in  the  head  as  their  entire  height ;  and  upon  the 
present  system  of  pruning  them,  they  enlarge  a  little  every  year. 

When  your  standards  are  planted,  you  need  do  nothing  to  them  until 


FIRST  TXAB'B  GROWTH  o»  BUD. 

April ;  the**  cut  all  small  shoots  off  close ;  that  is  to  say,  clear  them 
right  away ;  cut  down  the  strong  ones  to  two,  three,  or  at  most,  four 


62  PRUNING. 

eyes,  care  toeing  taken  that  the  top  eye  is  pointing  onward;  the  ob- 
ject of  this  is  to  obtain  strong  branches  growing  outward,  to  make  a 
wide  head.  As  the  shoots  grow,  notice  the  best  and  strongest  that  are 
growing  in  a  position  to  widen  the  head,  and  leave  them  to  make  all 
the  growth  they  can ;  allow  any  shoot  that  is  growing  up  strong  in  the 
centre  to  grow  also ;  and  further,  a  most  important  point,  rub  off,  or 
cut  off  with  a  very  sharp  knife,  all  weakly  growing  shoots,  all  that 
grow  inward  and  cross  the  head,  and  wherever  two  cross  each  other, 
remove  the  weakest.  The  branches  that  grow  outward  will  be  good 


SECOND  YEAR'S  GROWTH  OF  BUD. 

enough  and  well  enough  in  one  season's  growth  to  leave  any  length 
you  please  towards  making  a  proper  sized  head ;  but  as  five  or  six  of 
these  branches  will  not  make  a  full  head,  the  next  season  they  may  be 
shortened  to  half  their  growth,  taking  care  that  the  end  bud  must  be 
an  under  one,  for  all  the  tendency  of  the  Rose  is  to  grow  upward,  and 
't  is  only  when  the  natural  growth  is  outward,  or  downward,  that  the 
weight  prevails  to  keep  it  in  a  horizontal  or  drooping  position.  This 
second  year,  and  indeed  every  subsequent  year,  every  branch  that  does 
ttot  assist  to  form  a  handsome  head  without  crowding,  must  be  taken 


PRUNING.  63 

away,  and  the  younger  it  is  when  taken,  the  more  good  ite  removal 
does,  because  the  other  branches  get  the  better. 

With  regard  to  any  one  or  two,  or  even  three  upright  branches, 
though  one  strong  one  is  worth  three  weakly  ones,  they  may  be  short- 
ened down  so  that  two  or  three  good  eyes  may  be  fairly  above  the 
other  branches,  and  that  when  they  grow  outward  the  next  season, 
they  may  help  fill  up  the  head  of  the  tree  above ;  when  the  eyes 
begin  to  shoot,  rub  out  all  that  come  where  they  are  not  required,  and 
leave  those  of  which  you  are  yet  doubtful,  as  well  as  those  you  know 
TFill  be  wanted,  because  it  is  at  this  period  you  have  such  control  by 


THIRD  TEAR'S    GROWTH  OF  BUD. 

driving  the  whole  strength  of  the  tree  into  the  branches  that  are 
wanted.  In  this  way,  you  proceed  until  the  head  of  the  tree  is  the 
proper  form  and  proportion,  instead  of,  as  we  now  see  them  every- 
where, a  small,  pimping,  ungraceful  head  to  a  tall  stem,  or  trunk. 
Whe~.  once  it  has  arrived  at  this  perfection,  which,  with  very  little 
care  and  attention,  it  will,  you  may  cut  back  every  year's  wood  to  two 
eyes ;  cut  out  every  weak  shoot  altogether,  if  you  have  not  rubbed  it 
off  in  the  bud ;  cut  out  all  that  are  in  the  way  of  free  growth  for  the 
rest,  and  when  any  portion  is  confused  by  reason  of  the  number  of 


64  PRUNING. 

spurs  or  shortened  branches  left  on,  clear  away  a  bit  by  cutting  them 
off.  Always  remember  that  Standard  Roses  for  appearance  should  not 
be  too  closely  pruned;  but  for  showing,  when  the  individual  blooms 
are  shown,  a  multiplicity  of  flowers  is  against  size.  We  can  hardly 
recommend  too  strongly  the  necessity  of  what  we  shall  call  spring 
pruning,  which  is,  in  fact,  nipping  the  mischief  in  the  bud,  watching 
the  development  of  the  newly  coming  branches,  and  removing  all  but 
the  number  there  is  good  room  for ;  and  as  this  has  not  been  treated 
of  at  any  length,  if  at  all,  we  may  fairly  request  attention  to  it. 

The  three  cuts  which  are  in  illustration  of  this  article,  though  not 
very  accurate,  show  the  first  year's  growth  of  two  buds  placed  in  a 
stock,  with  dotted  lines  at  the  place  we  should  cut  them ;  the  second 
year's  growth  after  such  cutting,  with  dotted  lines  where  we  should 
cut  them  again;  and  the  third  year's  growth  is  indicated  by  lines 
which  give  some  idea  of  it.  But  neither  of  these  cuts  is  c  xactly  what 
we  like ;  first,  because  our  pen  and  ink  sketches  were  imperfect,  we 
being  unable  to  draw  exactly  what  we  wanted ;  and  secondly,  because 
the  artist,  who  oould  have  drawn  it,  did  not  know  what  we  wanted. 
There  is  enough,  however,  done  to  assist  in  our  lesson  on  Pruning 
Standards,  though  not  to  the  extent  we  wished. 

Pruning  and  Training  Pillar  Roses. 

Although  we  have  touched  on  the  pruning  of  bushes,  and  upon  the 
pruning  of  climbers  when  first  planted,  it  only  related  to  the  mere 
operation  of  pruning  them  for  growth,  in  the  position  they  were  to 
remain  ;  and  here,  for  the  Bake  of  the  poor  roses  themselves,  and  the 
pillars  they  are  to  ornament,  we  will  suppose  they  are  cut  down  to  the 
ground,  or  nearly  so,  and  have  made  a  fresh  growth,  or  rather  are 
making  fresh  growth.  Pillars  for  roses  ought  to  be  a  foot  in  diameter, 
and  are  best  made  of  trellis  work  or  rods  of  iron,  or,  if  it  must  be  so, 
of  wood;  but  they  ought  to  be  one  foot  through.  As  the  leading 
shoots  come,  they  ought  to  be  wound  spirally  round  the  pillar,  at  such 
distan  :e  from  each  other  as  will  enable  them  to  fill  up  the  space  be- 
tween with  foliage ;  their  leading  shoots  then  constitute  the  tree,  and 
all  the  side  shoots  bear  their  blooms,  and  form  a  pillar  of  roses.  We 
do  no  mean  that  this  is  al/  done  in  a  year,  though  some  kinds  go  a 


PRUNING.  65 

long  way  towards  it;  here,  as  in  all  other  cases  of  rose  pruning,  the 
little  weak  shoots  must  be  removed,  the  strongest  left  on  all  the  way 
up,  and  should  be  shortened  to  two  eyes.  If  the  tops  here  die  down 
at  all,  shorten  them  to  the  strong  top  eye,  not  to  the  top  eye,  for  seve- 
ral near  the  top  may  be  found  weak,  and  they  would  never  be  other- 
wise, whereas  the  stronger  one  will  grow  fast,  and  soon  supply  the 
place  of  the  old  top. 

When  the  buds  first  show  in  spring,  it  will  be  right  to  go  over  the 
roses  carefully,  to  remove  any  that  are  in  the  way ;  and  the  growth 
of  some  roses  will  be  found  so  different  to  that  of  others,  that  one  sort 
will  want  enormous  room  to  develop  its  shoots  and  blooms,  while 
another  will  make  but  short  branches  and  bloom  abundantly.  These 
characteristics  will  be  discovered  in  a  year's  growth,  if  not  well  ex- 
plained beforehand,  and  the  provision  can  be  made  accordingly.  Many 
Pillar  or  Climbing  Roses  are  made  to  run  over  arches  from  pillar  to 
pillar,  or  along  festoons  from  pillar  to  pillar ;  the  best  way  to  manage 
those  parts  which  form  the  arch,  or  festoon,  is  merely  to  thin  out  their 
weak  branches  without  shortening  their  strong  ones,  because  they 
will  bloom  more  abundantly,  which  is  the  great  charm ;  and  the  loose 
and  free  manner  in  which  they  hang  about  will  be  to  their  advantage, 
BO  they  be  kept  within  bounds  a  little. 

Pruning  and  Training  Roses  on  Flat  Trellises,    Walls,    and 
Fronts  of  Houses. 

The  management  of  this  family  is  very  similar  to  that  of  Pillar  Roses, 
except  that  the  leading  shoots  must  be  encouraged  to  grow  the  best 
way  to  fill  up  the  space  allotted  to  the  plant,  for  which  purpose  it  will 
be  advisable,  in  some  cases,  to  train  the  strongest  two  shoots  horizon- 
tally right  and  left  along  the  bottom ;  or  if  the  space  to  cover  be  only 
pne  way,  to  train  one  strong  shoot  along  the  bottom,  and  turn  it  up  at 
the  end  ;  if  it  reach  further,  the  rest  of  the  strong  shoots  may  be  fanned 
out  at  equidistances,  and  all  the  weak  joints  removed.  The  next  year, 
rub  off  the  buds  that  are  coming  where  they  are  not  wanted.  Allow 
any  strong  shoots  that  come  up  from  the  bottom  horizontal  shoot,  to 
grow  as  much  as  they  will,  but  no  weak  ones.  A  fast-growing  Rose 
will  soon  cover  a  house  front,  a  trellis,  or  wall,  and  flower  all  over. 


66  PRUNING. 

When  the  space  gets  filled,  you  must  continue  cutting  out,  from  year 
to  year,  all  thin,  spindley  shoots,  and  spare  the  strong  ones,  so  that  the 
stongest  eyes  only  are  developed,  instead  of  all  of  them ;  and  the  Roses 
are  closely  set  to  their  wall  or  trellis,  instead  of  hanging  lolloping 
about;  the  very  thing  which  is  good  on  a  pillar,  or  an  arbor,  or  over 
an  archway,  or  on  festoons,  being  the  reverse  on  a  flat  surface.  As  a 
never-failing  operation,  however,  in  all  cases,  the  weak,  spindley  shoots 
may  always  be  removed,  whether  the  strong  wood  be  shortened  or 
not. 

Pruning  of  Standards  on  Their  Own  Bottoms,  or  Roots. 

It  is  very  common  to  see  among  Dwarf  or  Bush  Roses,  a  strong 
shoot  growing  upright,  a  sucker  from  the  root ;  and  it  is  frequently 
the  case  that  these  will  rise  up  to  five  or  six  feet  high.  In  the  Moss 
Roses,  this  is  often  to  be  found.  These  may  always  be  trained  into 
standard  trees,  with  heads  in  every  way  proportioned  to  the  stem. 
As  soon  as  a  vigorous  shoot  of  this  kind  makes  its  appearance,  cut  in 
the  bush  at  bottom  rather  hard,  as  it  will  tend  to  strengthen  the  root, 
which  will  be  relieved  of  some  of  its  work  by  the  operation.  When 
the  shoot  has  attained  the  required  height,  pinch  off  the  top ;  this  will 
encourage  side  shoots,  all  of  which,  except  the  two  or  three  at  the  top, 
must  be  rubbed  off.  It  rarely  occurs,  however,  that  any  side  giowth 
is  made  the  first  season ;  so  that  the  better  way,  unless  the  shoot  be 
getting  too  long  early  in  the  season,  is  to  let  it  ripen  its  wood.  The 
latter  part  of  the  autumn,  you  may  look  at  the  root,  to  see  what  state 
it  is  in,  and  how  far  it  may  be  dependent  on  the  main  root.  If  it  be 
closely  joined,  so  that  there  would  not  be  sufficient  root  if  separated, 
the  old  bush  must  be  sacrificed,  and  the  root  secured  for  the  standard. 
As  the  upper  part  of  the  shoot  may  not  be  well  ripened,  it  will  be  as 
well  to  bind  a  hay  band  round  it,  or  tie  some  moss  or  other  litter,  to 
save  it  from  sharp  frost,  though  moderate  ones  will  not  injure. 

In  the  spring,  cut  the  end  off  as  low  down  as  will  do  for  your  pur- 
pose, and  when  the  buds  shoot  out,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  three  or 
four  upper  ones  come  first ;  all  others  on  the  stem  must  be  rubbed  off. 
Nor  is  it  any  great  use  having  two  buds  on  the  same  side  of  the  tree ; 
jf  you  can  manage  to  have  three,  or  even  four,  within  a  few  inches  of 
she  top.  "oin'mg  differeat  ways,  they  will  form  the  better  hold  of  it,  to 


GENERAL    HINTS.  67 

strengthen  the  Jther  portion  of  the  tree.  Continue  to  be  watchful  as 
to  other  buds  that  will  be  continually  pushing  from  the  main  stem,  and 
let  not  one  grow  but  those  you  have  selected  for  the  head. 

At  the  end  of  the  year,  these  will  have  made  considerable  growth, 
and,  instead  of  being  cut  back  the  next  spring  to  two  eyes,  as  is  the 
case  with  many,  cut  them  back  only  so  far  as  to  insure  the  strength 
of  the  remainder,  say,  so  as  to  leave  five  or  six  eyes.  The  next  season 
of  growth,  there  will,  out  of  three  or  four  branches,  come  four  or  five 
branches  each.  Those  which  come  in  their  places,  to  help  form  a 
handsome  head,  may  be  allowed  to  grow;  but  if  any  come  so  as  to 
cross  others,  or  where  there  is  plenty  of  growth  already,  let  them  be 
rubbed  off;  but  it  is  quite  possible  for  an  eye  to  shoot  where  it  is  not 
wanted,  and  yet  the  first  or  second  eye  of  that  shoot  may  be  in  a 
direction  to  fill  up  a  vacancy  where  it  is  necessary ;  this  must,  of 
course,  be  looked  to  before  buds  are  rubbed  off.  These  branches,  when 
grown  another  season,  will  stretch  out  the  head  on  all  sides  to  a  re- 
spectable size,  and  enable  you  to  thin  out  the  weak  wood,  and  cut  back 
the  strong;  so  that  instead  of  having  the  head  pimping  and  small,  it 
may  bear  a  proportion  to  the  stem ;  for,  as  we  have  said  before,  the 
head  ought  to  be  as  wide  across  as  the  stem  is  long  from  the  ground, 
to  the  under  part  of  the  head.  There  is  one  thing  to  be  observed  with 
regard  to  standards  on  their  own  bottom :  they  never  break  off,  nor 
docay,  nor  canker,  half  so  much  as  budded  and  grafted  ones. 


GENERAL   HINTS. 

WE  may  mention,  as  a  general  characteristic,  that  there  is  no  plant 
which  yields  more  willingly  to  culture  than  the  Rose,  nor  in  the 
growth  of  which  there  is  so  much  certainty.  If  you  desire  a  large 
quantity  of  bloom,  and  are  not  anxious  about  the  size  of  the  flowers, 
there  is  nothing  required  fcut  to  spare  the  knife ;  take  out  weak  shoots, 
tut  leave  plenty  of  wood  on  the  tree;  for  every  eye  will  bloom,  anC 


68  JENERAL   HINTS. 

the  more  you  leave  on,  the  better  for  that  purpose.  In  this  case,  the 
new  wood  made  is  but  short,  because  there  is  so  much  of  it.  If,  on 
the  contrary,  you  desire  large  blooms,  cut  away  all  the  strong  wood, 
of  the  year  previous,  down  to  two  eyes  at  the  most,  and  cut  all  the 
weak  wood  out  altogether.  Indeed,  you  may  go  further;  for  you 
may  cut  away  half  the  strong  snoots,  and  lessen  the  number  of  eyes 
still  more. 

Again,  roses  in  poor  soil  will  grow  and  bloom ;  their  flowers  will  be 
smaller,  but  not  less  healthy ;  their  wood  will  be  weaker  and  shorter, 
but  still  sound.  The  principal  danger  when  a  Rose  is  starved  is,  that 
it  may  come  less  double ;  and  this  is  so  serious  a  fault,  that  it  has 
occasioned  many  to  be  thrown  away  that  did  not  deserve  it,  and 
caused  many  others  to  be  considered  wrong  varieties,  when  they 
wanted  nothing  but  g6"bd  growth  to  make  them  right  ones.  On  the 
other  hand,  rich  soils  will  cause  a  Rose  to  grow  enormously ;  and  all 
intermediate  growths  between  the  strongest  and  the  weakest  may  be 
secured  according  to  the  soil  they  are  put  in  to  grow.  Generally, 
people  fancy  that  dung  is  the  only  thing  required ;  this  is  a  mistake, 
loam  is  required  to  grow  the  Rose  in  perfection ;  and  if  the  ground  is 
poor  and  light,  a  spadeful  of  loam  and  a  spadeful  of  dung  will  be  far 
better  than  two  spadefuls  of  dung.  This  ought  to  be  always  mixed 
with  the  soil  a  little,  and  the  Rose  planted  in  it. 

Roses  are  sadly  injured  by  the  wind,  and  the  blooms  require  fasten- 
ing to  something  or  other,  to  prevent  their  being  frayed.  The  stakes 
of  roses  should  always  be  made  fast  to  the  Rose,  or  the  roses  made  fast 
to  the  stakes  with  leaden  or  copper  wire ;  because  bass  matting,  or 
other  perishable  stuff,  will  give  way  when  high  wind  takes  them,  and 
they  receive  a  good  deal  of  mischief  before  they  are  observed  and 
fastened  again. 

Of  the  roses  at  present  in  cultivation,  very  few  which  are  not  semi- 
double  will  open  out  boldly ;  and  those  which  are  semi-double,  are 
not  fit  to  show  as  single  flowers.  There  are,  however,  some  which 
will  bear  the  test  of  stand-showing,  and  they  not  of  the  dearest  or 
newest.  Those,  therefore,  who  desire  to  grow  none  but  perfect 
flowers,  should  state  to  the  dealer,  of  whom  they  mean  to  buy,  that 
their  object  is  to  have  none  but  such  as  will  expand  and  show  a  good 
face  when  fully  bloomed,  as  they  purpose  growing  none  others.  The 


3ENKRAL    HINTS.  69 

estcablishment  of  the  showing  in  stands,  like  dahlias,  will  cause  many 
old  and  fine  roses  to  be  appreciated,  and  a  great  many  new  ones  to  be 
discarded ;  for  although  it  is  not  the  gayest  mode  of  exhibiting  roses, 
it  is  jy  far  the  best  mode  of  testing,  and  it  is  curious  to  see  the  num- 
ber of  varieties  with  very  glaring  faults.  For  instance,  some  are  close 
balls  of  petals,  with  the  outer  ones  rolling  back  a  little,  as  if  they  were 
shrivelling ;  bu^-  never  opening  fairly.  Others  no  sooner  open  than 
they  show  their  yellow  seeds  and  their  paucity  of  petals:  some  are  on 
stems  too  weak  to  hold  them  in  their  position ;  others,  again,  burst 
into  a  broken  mass  of  ill-formed  petals,  that  do  not  compensate  for 
their  sweetness.  Some  fall  to  pieces  the  instant  they  are  open,  and 
others  almost  before  they  open ;  many  are  shapeless  masses  of  colored 
flimsy  texture,  that  neither  hold  themselves  in  form  nor  impart  fra- 
grance. It  is  worth  while  to  direct  the  attention  of  the  amateur  to 
the  large  collections  of  roses  sometimes  to  be  seen  at  exhibitions,  and 
to  the  very  few  which  are  to  be  found  among  them  of  a  fine  form. 
They  will  observe  bunches  of  half-bloomed  flowers,  that  dare  not  be 
shown;  they  will  find  plenty  of  hard  lumps,  on  stems  not  strong 
enough  to  bear  them  without  lolloping  about;  they  will  find  some 
without  a  round  smooth  petal  among  them,  but  very  few  so  good  as 
the  Tuscan,  the  Cabbage,  the  Moss,  the  Provence,  and  the  oldest  of 
the  known  good  varieties.  This  shows  the  necessity  of  attention  to 
the  hints  we  have  thrown  out;  for  we  must  again  confess,  that 
although  we  have  selected  the  best  among  eleven  or  twelve  hundred 
roses,  there  are  many  that  we  shall  see  rejected  like  the  remainder  of 
the  entire  collection,  to  make  way  for  better  flowers  and  better  taste. 
As  a  concluding  observation  respecting  the  management  of  the 
Rose,  we  are  bound  to  say,  that  a  good  deal  that  is  done  now  is 
erroneous,  although  taught  by  rose  cultivators;  and  especially  with 
regard  to  roses  in  pots,  which,  however  pretty  they  may  look,  are 
very  much  drawn,  and  very  unnaturally  supported.  That  the  system, 
if  pursued,  will  lead  to  the  introduction  and  toleration  of  varieties 
which  cannot  support  themselves,  in  the  same  manner  as  it  did  to  the 
introduction  of  worthless  geraniums,  there  is  no  room  to  doubt;  for 
in  the  specimens  exhibited  in  pots  at  various  shows,  the  total  inability 
of  the  flowers  and  stems  to  support  themselves  is  manifested,  as  well 
as  the  dispositions  to  encourage  this  strange  mode  of  distorting  things. 
Some  allowance  should  be  made  for  any  forced  subject;  but  thai 


70  GENERAL    HINTS. 

gardener  who  can  produce  his  plants  without  supports,  is  ,he  one 
who  deserves  a  prize  for  his  skill ;  not  the  man  who  draws  a  plant  till 
it  cannot  support  itself,  and  then  keeps  it  up  with  framework. 

There  is  much  to  be  done  in  the  choice  of  roses,  for  particular 
objects.  Those  inclined  to  droop  should  be  on  very  tall  stalks,  for 
their  pendulous  habit  is  very  handsome,  and  renders  the  tree  a  beau- 
tiful drooping  object;  those  for  bushes  ought  to  be  short  jointed  and 
close  habited,  as  best  suited  to  dwarfs,  and  so  also  will  they  be  found 
for  dwarf  standards. 

The  general  routine  for  rose  culture  is  given  both  as  respects  the 
general  collection,  and  also  for  seedlings ;  and  with  attention  to  what 
has  been  here  written,  we  think  a  mere  novice  may,  with  a  little 
enterprise,  beat  one  who  grows  upon  any  other  system. 

Few  people  are  aware  of  the  injustice  sometimes  done  to  roses, 
which  are  condemned  as  worthless,  when  the  culture  alone  is  the 
cause  of  their  misbehavior.  The  Rose  is  a  fidgety .  customer.  The 
French  people  are  famous  for  raising  new  varieties,  and  describing 
them  as  very  superb ;  the  English  and  American  nurserymen  buy 
them  as  soon  as  they  can  be  obtained,  and  describe  them  to  their 
customers  as  something  recherche;  they  are  purchased  by  amateur 
cultivators  upon  the  strength  of  such  characters,  grown  for  a 
year,  and  too  often  thrown  away  as  worthless.  Once  for  all,  let  us 
inform  our  readers,  that  no  Rose  can  be  depended  on  for  growing  to 
its  character  under  the  third  season.  The  effect  of  poor  culture  is  to 
make  a  Double  Rose  semi-double  and  single ;  and  that  which  would 
be  rich  culture  to  anything  else,  may  be  poor  to  the  Rose,  because  if 
it  be  not  suitable,  it  may  as  well  be  poor. 

There  are  many  things  which  affect  the  Rose,  but  the  principal  one 
is  tantamount  to  saying  that  it  does  not  feel  itself  at  home.  European 
nurserymen  often  propagate  roses  rather  too  mechanically  ;  the  greater 
part  of  them  are  "  made  to  sell."  So  long  as  the  stock  will  keep  the 
bud  alive,  and  let  it  grow,  that  is  all  the  nurseryman  asks  or  wishes. 
Now,  it  is  quite  certain  that  a  stock  without  mucr  root  will  live,  and 
hundreds  of  plants  sent  from  abroad  are  of  this  description.  There 
may  be  strength  enough  in  the  stock  to  grow  arid  bloom  the  kind 
upon  it,  but  as  the  stock  is  not  fairly  at  Lome,  the  first  year  is  often 
wasted  in  making  root  enough  to  lay  hold  of  the  ground,  and  during 
this  period,  the  head  is  grown  but  poorly. 


GENERAL   HINTS.  71 

As, to  blooming,  it  should  not  be  allowed  until  the  growth  is  vigor- 
ous, for  it  comes  miserably  poor,  if  at  all.  The  second  year,  it  is  more 
reconciled  to  its  place,  and  the  third  may  be  considered  a  fair  trial. 
Take  the  very  best  Rose  we  have,  and  grow  it  badly,  the  result  will 
be  bad  flowers ;  but,  if  this  be  the  case  with  well-known  varieties, 
how  cautious  ought  we  to  be  of  condemning  a  candidate  for  our  favors 
when  we  have  no  evidence  of  its  real  character.  Rose  growers  say 
it  is  impossible  to  tell,  after  a  removal,  what  a  Rose  ought  to  be  by 
what  it  is;  that  it  ought  to  be  tried  three  seasons  before  condemna- 
tion, and  not  be  discarded  under  an  idea  that  it  is  useless,  merely 
because  it  flowers  badly,  which  is  not  always  the  case.  A  Rose  will 
sometimes  be  for  several  years  only  middling,  when,  if  it  liked  the 
ground,  it  would  be  excellent. 

When  you  have  a  Rose,  first  you  should  cut  away  all  bruised  parts 
of  the  root,  and  see  that  all  the  broken  ends  of  the  shoots  in  the 
ground,  or  root  shoots,  are  smooth ;  then  plant  it  the  first  year  in 
good  strong  fresh  loam,  from  a  pasture.  If  rotten  dung  be  at  the 
bottom,  so  much  the  better,  but  do  not  let  the  dung  touch  the  roots". 
Cut  nothing  back  of  the  head  or  bud  shoot,  or  if  it  be  an  established 
head,  cut  nothing  back  until  you  see  the  buds  swelling,  so  as  to  enable 
you  to  calculate  what  portion  is  alive,  and  what  has  died  back.  As 
soon  as  this  is  indicated  by  the  growing  of  the  buds,  cut  away  clean 
to  the  tree  all  the  branches  which  may  have  perished.  When  these 
are  removed,  you  see  what  head  you  have  to  depend  on,  and  how 
much  you  may  cut  back  without  losing  an  opportunity  of  forming  or 
improving  a  head  for  the  next  season.  For  instance,  all  the  branches 
but  one  will  often  die  back,  and  be  forced  to  be  removed  by  the  knife. 
Had  the  pruning  at  first  been  close^  and  each  branch  cut  back  to  two 
eyes,  there  would  be  but  two,  of  course,  left  on  the  only  living  one, 
and  but  two  shoots  could  be  had  from  them ;  having,  however,  dis- 
covered that  but  one  branch  is  left,  this  has  to  be  preserved  somewhat 
longer,  and  therefore  should  be  pruned  to  four  or  five,  instead  of  two 
eyes.  These  nay  be  managed  to  form  branches  all  round  the  tree,  or 
rather  at  such  distance  as  prudence  dictates,  due  regard  being  had  to 
the  strength  of  the  plant.  If  the  tree  takes  off  vigorously,  and  the 
wood  grows  very  strong,  the  bloom  is  pretty  sure  to  be  inferior,  as 
indeed  is  the  case  when  almost  any  plant  runs  to  wood ;  so  that  it  ia 


72  GENERAL   HINTS. 

quite  as  unlikely  that  the  bloom  of  the  Rose  is  in  character  when  the 
plant  is  too  vigorous,  as  when  it  is  meagre  or  too  much  starved 

Hybridising  has  done  much  good  for  roses,  but  it  has  also  done  its 
mischief;  for,  if  it  has  introduced  some  splendid  varieties,  it  has  teased 
us  with  hundreds  not  worth  growing ;  some,  which  are  close  hard 
lumps  of  rolled-up  petals,  turn  over  their  thin  edges  like  a  dog- 
eared book ;  the  backs  of  the  petals  a  dull  color,  scarcely  any  scent  to 
them,  and  altogether  bad  openers,  and  bad  if  they  can  be  made  to 
open.  There  is  no  reason  why  the  Rose  should  not  be  as  perfect  as 
the  Camellia  japonica.  There  are  some  of  the  Bourbons  with  petals 
as  smooth  and  as  thick,  and  almost  as  regular ;  and  these  are  the 
kinds  to  buy  and  grow.  They  hold  their  form  longer  and  better  than 
those  with  thin  petals ;  they  open  more  freely,  and  are  better  when 
they  do  open.  The  habits  of  these  full-flowered  plants  are  better ; 
the  flowers,  instead  of  lolloping  their  heads  down,  show  themselves 
well.  All  the  full  free  opening  roses  of  old  age  are  of  this  descrip- 
tion ;  witness  the  Cabbage  Rose,  the  Maiden's  Blush,  the  Provence, 
and  some  others,  which  are  as  familiar  as  the  name  of  the  Rose  itself. 
It  is  true  that  the  bud  of  a  Rose  is  pretty,  and  that  a  bunch  of  roses 
is  pretty,  but  while  we  have  good  roses  that  will  open,  and  of  almost 
every  color,  it  is  unnecessary  to  grow  bad  ones;  and  if  the  character 
of  roses  is  established  by  showing  single  blooms,  which  shall  be 
required  to  be  open,  there  will  be  but  little  difficulty  in  doing  all  the 
rest. 

Nevertheless,  on  receiving  roses  from  nurseries,  whether  American 
or  foreign,  pay  attention  to  these  directions  in  the  planting,  and  be 
not  in  a  hurry  to  condemn.  Let  them  fail  the  first  season,  and  be 
even  middling  only  the  second,  but^give  them  the  benefit  of  the  doubt, 
and  try  them  a  third  season.  Convince  yourself  that  the  variety  is 
incapable  of  becoming  better,  and  that  you  have  seen  their  natural 
habit,  before  you  throw  them  away.  If  a  petal  is  thin  and  curly, 
rough-edged  and  flimsy,  it  can  never  be  good ;  if  the  petals  are  good, 
but  there  are  too  few  of  them,  there  is  great  hope  that  culture  will 
improve  it  from  a  semi-double  to  a  perfect  double,  which  is  all  that  ij 
wanted. 


CALENDAR  OF   OPERATIONS.  T3 


CALENDAR   OF    OPERATIONS. 

THE  following  Calendar  foj  the  management  of  the  Rose,  during 
each  month  of  the  year,  is  designed  for  the  central  parts  of  the  United 
States,  including  the  temperate  regions  of  Maryland,  Virginia,  Ohio, 
Kentucky,  ]jidiana,  Missouri,  and  Illinois.  The  season  of  spring  com- 
mences in  the  middle  latitudes  of  Georgia,  Alabama,  Mississippi,  and 
of  Texas,  and  the  northern  part  of  Louisiana,  and  the  southern  part 
of  Arkansas,  about  one  month  earlier  ;  and  a  month  or  five  weeks 
later  in  Rhode  Island,  Massachusetts,  and  in  the  central  latitudes  of 
New  York,  Wisconsin,  and  of  Michigan.  The  period  of  sowing,  how- 
ever, will  admit  of  some  latitude,  on  account  of  the  degree  of  dryness 
of  the  soil,  and  of  its  exposure  to  cold  or  moist  winds,  and  to  the  solar 
warmth. 

It  has  long  been  observed  that  Nature,  in  her  operations,  is  so  uni- 
form, that  the  forwardness  of  trees,  in  unfolding  their  flowers  and 
leaves,  is  an  unerring  indication  of  the  forwardness  of  spring;  and 
that  the  period  at  which  the  shrub  red  bud  (Oercis  canadensis)  puts 
forth,  is  the  proper  time  to  plant  Indian  corn,  and  sow  in  open  cul- 
ture the  seeds  of  the  Rose. 


Look  well  to  all  standard  roses  ;  see  that  their  stakes  are  firmly  m 
the  ground,,  and  the  stocks  or  trunks  are  well  fastened  to  them.  If  the 
heads  of  standards  are  very  large,  compared  with  the  hold  they  have 
upon  the  stock,  it  is  necessary  that  the  stock  to  which  the  tree  is  fast- 
ened should  reach  partly  through  the  head,  and  be  fastened  to  the 
head  itself.  It  is  also  desirable,  when  very  large  growth  has  been 
made,  to  shorten,  though  not  properly  prune,  all  the  longest  branches, 
to  lessen  the  head,  that  the  wind  may  not  have  too  much  power.  I£ 
you  have  not  provided  yourself  with  stocks  before  this  month,  lose  no 
time,  and  when  procured,  prune  the  roots  into  moderate  form,  for  they 
•will  frequently  be  found  straggling  and  awkward.  Besides  planting 
out  a  number  in  rows,  to  be  worked  in  the  open  ground,  pot  some  of 
the  most  compact-rooted  in  pots,  and  plunge  them,  making  a  post-and- 
rail  sort  of  frame  along  them  to  fasten  the  stocks  to,  and  prevent  them 


74  CALENDAR   OF    OPERATIONS. 

from  V  eing  disturbed  by  the  wind  ;  also,  if  you  have  not  got  ir  all  the 
roses  you  want,  order  them  and  plant. 

Protect  the  smooth-wooded  kinds,  budded  on  the  stocks,  in  pots, 
from  the  cold,  and  see  that  those  in  beds  are  well  covered  with  litter 
where  there  is  danger  of  their  suffering  fijpm  frost  ;  and,  as  the  smooth- 
wooded  varieties  budded  in  pots  will  be  growing,  support  their  shoots 
and  remove  all  other  e}res  from  the  stocks  the  instant  they  break. 

At  the  North,  where  roses  in  parlors  and  greenhouses  are  coming 
into  flower,  syringe  the  plants  freely  with  water,  and  occasionally  with 
a  solution  of  Peruvian  guano,  mixed  in  the  proportion  of  half  a  pint 
of  guano  to  eight  gallons  of  water.  Fumigate  often  with  tobacco,  in 
order  to  keep  down  the  green  fly;  and  with  sulphur,  to  kill  the  red 
spider. 


Look  over  the  established  stocks,  and  see  which  are  most  favorable 
for  grafting  ;  and  if  you  have  any  wood  of  roses  you  intend  to  graft, 
leave  it  on  the  trees  ;  but  if  you  have  to  obtain  wood,  seek  for  it  in 
time;  and  if  you  get  it.  plant  the  thickest  end  downward  in  the 
ground,  in  some  shady  place,  because  they  ought  not  to  be  grafted  till 
next  month,  and  the  cuttings  will  keep  some  time.  The  China  Roses 
in  the  house,  and  roses  in  the  forcing  house,  must  be  kept  well  syringed, 
and  watched  carefully,  that,  in  the  event  of  the  green  fly  attacking  them, 
they  may  be  fumigated,  as  well  as  syringed.  Roses  in  pots  should  be 
kept  a  little  moist,  and  if  not  pruned  in  autumn,  should  be  pruned 
directly.  Look  to  a  supply  of  wild  stpcks,  if  you  have  not  yet  com- 
pleted your  arrangements. 

Bruise  the  berries  which  have  been  saved  for  seed,  and  rub  out  the 
seed  ready  for  sowing  next  month. 

At  the  North,  continue  the  same  treatment  as  recommended  last 
month. 


Prune  all  roses  which  were  left  half  done  in  the  autun.a,  or  not 
at  all,  especially  grafted  and  budded  ones  of  last  year,  as  they  have 
this  year  to  make  some  growth.  Stocks  may  still  do  if  the  season  is 
backward  but  not  a  day  must  be  lost.  Look  over  all  the  standard 


CALENDAR    OF    OPERATIONS.  75 

trees,  examine  the  pushing  buds,  trim  out  all  weak  shoots  from  tfie 
buds,  and  cut  away  all  shoots  from  the  stock.  This  must  be  always 
considered  of  first  consequence,  for  the  growth  of  a  branch  from  a  stock 
will  completely  check  the  growth  of  the  head.  All  grafted  and  budded 
trees,  when  once  fairly  growing,  should  be  deprived  of  all  means  ot 
growth  from  the  stock  itself.  It  is  not  wise  to  destroy  altogether  the 
growth  of  the  stock  above  the  graft  or  bud,  until  the  union  and  sub- 
sequent growth  of  the  graft  or  bud  itself  are^well  established  ;  but  this 
once  accomplished,  leave  no  vestige  of  growth  belonging  to  the  stock, 
and  constantly  rub  off  every  bud.  You  may  commence  grafting  this 
month. 

Sow  the  seeds  in  large  pots  or  deep  pans,  and  keep  them  from  once 
getting  dry,  or  being  frosted. 

At  the  North,  hardy  roses  may  be  safely  pruned  the  last  of  this 
month. 


If  any  suckers  appear  among  established  roses  or  stocks,  worked  or 
unworked,  remove  the  earth  down  to  where  they  join  the  root,  and 
cut  them  off  close.  .  If  the  rose  quarter  is  at  all  infested  with  snails  or 
slugs,  use  all  means  to  destroy  them.  Inverted  flower  pots,  tilted  on 
one  side,  will  catch  many  snails  ;  cabbage  leaves  laid  on  the  ground, 
and  examined  daily,  will  entrap  slugs.  All  stocks  on  which  grafts  or 
buds  failed  last  season  must  be  looked  upon  as  new  stocks,  and  cut 
down  to  where  they  appear  alive.  The  shoots  upon  which  buds  were 
placed  should  be  cut  off  close,  as  well  as  side  growths,  if  they  are 
intended  for  budding,  but  if  for  grafting,  the  inside  shoots  may  be 
strong  enough  to  graft  on  ;  if  the  grafts,  and  the  shoot  grafted  on,  be 
nearly  alike,  the  graft  may  be  all  the  safer,  and  the  place  of  union 
more  completely  healed  than  when  small  grafts  are  placed  in  large 
stocks.  This  month  is  a  good  one  for  grafting  or  spring  budding, 
though  the  operation  may  be  performed  successfully  in  March.  Cut 
back  to  two  eyes  all  that  have  been  left  unpruned,  by  which  late 
pruning  back,  the  blooming  will  be  protracted  considerably. 

Keep  the  seeds  sown  las'  month,  moist;  and  if  the  season  be  dry, 
moisten  them  by  laying  on  tne  surface  some  wet  moss.  Shade  them, 
also,  from  the  hot  sun. 

At  the  North,  hardy  roses  of  all  kinds  should  now  be  pruned,  Muss 


76  CAIJSNDAR    OF    OPERATIONS. 

Eoses  cut  back  short     Eose  seeds  may  be  sown  the  last  of  this  month 
or  early  in  May.     Spring  budding  may  also  be  performed. 


This  is  an  important  month  with  the  Eose.  First  and  foremost, 
the  vigilance  in  looking  for  the  breaking  buds  of  stocks,  which  would 
rob  the  head  of  its  growth,  must  be  doubled,  and  every  three  or  four 
days  they  must  be  examined  and  rubbed  off.  Suckers  must  also  be 
grubbed  up  the  instant  they  appear.  The  shoots  of  the  buds  of  last 
year  will  make  rapid  growth,  and  require  to  be  screened,  that  the 
wind  may  not  break  them  out  or  damage  them  ;  and  it  is  a  very  good 
plan  to  tie  a  stick  to  the  stem,  to  reach  a  foot  above  it,  and  this  does 
well  to  support  any  of  the  shoots.  But  when  a  bud  throws  up  a  very 
strong  shoot,  it  is  well  to  take  the  top  off  as  soon  as  there  are  two  pair 
of  leaves,  for  it  will  make  the  shoot  form  a  head  the  first  season  ;  but, 
in  any  case,  the  shoots  must  be  supported  by  a  loose  tie  to  the  stick 
above  mentioned. 

The  young  seedlings  will  be  up  this  month,  and  will  require  great 
care  to  keep  them  from  damaging  by  too  much  wet,  or  burning  up  for 
want  of  moisture. 

At  the  North,  Tea,  Bengal,  Noisette  and  other  roses  may  now  be 
planted  out  in  borders.  Eose  seed  may  be  sown  early  in  this  month, 
and  spring  budding  performed. 

Sune. 

* 

This  month,  great  diligence  must  be  used  to  prevent  the  stocks  from 
growing  from  their  own  wood,  instead  of  throwing  all  their  stength 
into  the  grafts  and  buds.  It  is  time  also  to  be  looking  out  for  sorts  you 
intend  to  bud  with,  either  by  buying  the  plants  outright,  or  bespeak- 
ing buds  for  the  season  ;  and  if  any  come  in  your  way  about  the  end 
of  the  month,  do  not  be  afraid  of  budding  on  the  strongest  wood  you 
can  find  of  the  present  season's  growth  among  the  stocks,  tl  ough  you 
may  properly  choose  a  later  season,  if  you  have  nothing  to  hurry  you. 

The  young  seedlings  will  have  advanced  enough  to  pot  off,  one  in 
a  pot,  with  loam,  p.sat,  and  decomposed  dung;  they  must  be  placed 
\n  the  shade  out  of  doors,  or  in  a  frame  and  light,  in  order  to  grow  five 
or  six  weeks.  See  that  they  are  watered  as  often  as  may  be  neces- 


CALENDAR   OI    OPERATIONS.  77 

iary  ;   and  on  any  appearance  of  the  green  fly,  fumigate  them  with 
tobacco. 

At  the  North,  roses  should  be  planted  out  in  borders  for  summer 
blooming. 


If  this  month  be  at  all  forward,  you  may  bud  ;  and  if  you  have 
wood  given  to  you  when  you  are  not  ready  for  it,  put  the  ends  in  wet 
sand,  and  a  hand  glass  over  them  ;  but  the  sooner  you  can  use  the 
buds  after  you  have  got  them  the  better.  The  stocks  must  be  put  in 
completely  all  over,  except  one  or  two  eyes  beyond  the  bud  on  the 
branches  in  which  the  bud  is  inserted.  All  China  Roses  in  pots  or 
out  of  doors  may  be  budded,  and  so  also  may  all  the  smooth-barked 
kinds. 

Plant  out  the  young  seedlings  potted  last  month,  in  beds  four  feet 
wide,  in  the  same  soil,  without  disturbing  the  balls  of  earth  ;  let  them 
be  six  inches  from  the  side  of  the  bed,  and  a  foot  apart  each  way. 
Protect  them  from  vermin  by  all  ordinary  means;  shade  them  from 
the  heat  of  the  sun  at  mid-day  ;  wate,-  if  required. 

At  the  North,  roses  of  all  kinds  planted  in  open  ground,  may  be 
layered  the  last  of  this  month.  Perpetual  Roses  will  bloom  best  in 
autumn,  if  they  are  pruned  in  after  having  opened  their  first  flowers. 


Continue  the  budding,  and  use  every  precaution  to  prevent  the 
stock  from  growing,  and  remove  suckers  the  instant  they  appear 
above  ground.  Nothing  should  be  allowed  to  grow,  except,  just 
beyond  the  bud  ;  a  shoot  may  be  beneficial,  as  it  draws  the  sap  past 
the  bud;  but  as  soon  as  it  is  united  and  doing  well,  anything  growing 
beyond  it  may  be  broken  off,  or  bent  down  to  check  it  a  little.  Cut- 
tings of  the  smooth-barked  kinds  will  strike  almost  every  month  in  the 
year  ;  but  at  the  end  of  this  month,  whatever  you  may  be  anxious  to 
propagate  may  be  struck  in  the  shade,  under  a  hand  glass,  or  even 
quicker  where  there  is  a  little  bottom  heat. 

The  same  directions  will  also  appl/  to  the  North. 


78  CALENDAR   OF   OPERATIONS. 


Sej)  temfccr. 

You  may  m  "w  examine  the  budded  plants,  and  undo  the  ties  of  any 
that  appear  to  swell,  tying  them  more  loosely,  although  tight  enough 
to  hold  in  the  bud.  If  any  of  the  buds  have  failed,  you  may  open  a 
fresh  place,  and  insert  others  ;  but  .if  well  done,  this  will  seldom  be  the 
case.  Continue  to  remove  any  shoots  or  eyes  that  are  showing 
growth  in  the  stock,  for  on  this  much  depends.  Cuttings  from  the 
smooth-wooded  kinds  may  be  taken  and  struck,  and  any  that  are 
struck  may  be  potted  off  in  small  pots.  Weed  the  young  plants  in  the 
beds.  Water  them  if  the  season  be  dry. 

At  the  North,  ro§es  intended  for  early  forcing,  should  now  be 
repotted  and  pruned. 

October. 

Towards  the  end  of  the  month,  look  out  for  healthy  stocks,  or  get 
some  one  in  that  way  of  business  to  collect  for  you.  Always  choose, 
and  make  any  one  who  undertakes  to  supply  you  understand  that  you 
require  strong  stems,  perfectly  straight,  with  compact  roots,  that  have 
not  been  much  damaged  by  removal  Any  that  you  get  should  be  at 
once  trimmed  and  planted  in  rows,  about  eighteen  inches  apart,  and 
the  rows  wide  enough  to  enable  you  to  go  up  and  down  them  well, 
to  operate  in  the  way  of  grafting  and  budding  when  required.  Many 
of  the  budded  stocks  may  now  be  untied  altogether,  but  it  is  not  well 
to  cut  the  branches  in  which  they  are  budded  close  down  to  the  bud 
until  the  spring  months.  As  they  would  be  more  susceptible  of 
damage  by  frost,  let  them  all  be  properly  sheltered,  and  fastened,  if 
they  have  become  loosened.  Shorten  the  longest  branches'  of  standard 
roses,  that  they  may  not  hold  the  wind  so  much  ;  and  although  it 
would  be  improper  to  prune,  their  close  back  branches  may  be  cut 
clean  away,  because  they  are  of  no  use  on  the  tree.  Cuttings  of  the 
China  and  smooth-wooded  kinds  may  be  taken  now  for  general 
propagation.  The  plants  will  be  the  better  for  losing  the  wood,  espe- 
cially all  the  dwarfs  in  pots. 

Examine  the  August-budded  plants,  and  loosen  the  ties,  if  necessary. 
Break  or  cut  off  the  wild  part  of  the  stock  above  the  bud,  all  except 
one  growing  eye,  tr  keep  up  the  circulation;  remove  all  other 


CALENDAR   OF   OPERATIONS.  79 

branches  and  shoots.  G-ather  the  "hips,"  or  berries,  of  any  desirable 
varieties  for  seed,  as  soon  as  ripe.  Look  to  those  roses  budded  on 
stocks  in  pots. 

At  the  North,  all  tender  kinds,  growing  in  open  ground,  should  be 
taker.-  up  and  potted,  and  hardy  roses  may  be  successfully  trans- 
planted the  last  of  this  month. 

Wobemfoer. 

This  is  the  best  month  in  the  year,  if  the  weather  is  dry  and  open, 
for  planting  out  the  garden  sorts  of  rose  trees  and  bushes ;  therefore, 
all  removals  should  be  performed  as  soon  as  convenient,  according  to 
the  plan  pointed  out  in  the  foregoing  treatise.  The  leaves  of  all  the 
garden  sorts  are  falling,  or  have  fallen.  Some  of  the  perpetuals,  and 
the  China  and  hybrid  kinds,  are,  in  mild  autumns,  still  growing,  and 
perhaps  blooming.  Such  must  not  be  touched  till  the  leaves  have 
turned  yellow,  or  have  dropped  ;  but  in  all  other  cases,  where  the 
leaves  have  faded,  the  removal  is  kindly  and  beneficially  done.  Stocks 
may  be  procured  and  planted,  and  if  the  permanent  planting  cannot, 
for  any  particular  reasons,  be  done  now,  they  must  be  temporarily 
planted  or  laid  in  the  earth,  in  a  sloping  direction,  and  the  roots  well 
covered  with  mould,  which  must  also  be  well  shook  in  among  the 
roots  and  fibres.  Cuttings  may  still  be  made  of  the  smooth- wooded 
kinds,  and  placed  close  together  in  pots  of  mould,  with  half  an  inch 
thickness  of  sand  at  the  top.  These  pots  must  not  be  allowed  to  dry, 
but  may  be  put  in  a  pit  or  greenhouse,  or  plunged  under  a  hand 
glass  in  the  border,  which  will  answer  for  covering  them  well  from 
frost. 

In  all  situations  subject  to  frosts,  throw  light  litter,  as  pea  vines, 
pine  boughs,  or  straw,  over  the  beds  containing  tender  varieties,  at 
night ;  and  if  there  happen  to  be  frost,  do  not  relnove  the  litter  during 
the  day.  Continue  to  gather  ripe  berries,  or  hips,  as  directed  last 
month.  Cut  out  the  weak  shoots  from  the  seedlings,  leaving  only  the 
robust  and  strong  ones  on  the  plant,  except  such  as  are  intended  for 
buds  in  the  spring. 

At  the  North,  tender  roses  should  all  be  taken  up  this  month.  Per- 
petuals and  Bourbons,  in  the  open  ground,  if  in  a  well-drained  situa- 
tion, with  a  little  covering,  will  stand  "he  winter  without  injury. 


INSECTS. 


Decemfc  er. 

Planting  goes  on  well  this- month,  if  the  weather  be  dry  and  open; 
but  if  wet,  and  the  ground  does  not  work  well,  it  is  better  deferred ; 
for  if  platting  is  done  when  the  soil  will  not  crumble  well,  and  go 
between  the  roots,  they  cannot  succeed.  Look  well  to  last  month's 
directions,  and  attend  to  them  in  all  respects,  if  not  done  before. 
•  Seed  berries,  designed  for  sowing  next  spring,  may  be  preserved 
by  putting  a  tile  at  the  bottom  of  a  flow~er  pot,  into  which  may  be 
put  those  hips  that  are  perfectly  ripe,  covering  them  three  or  four 
inches  with  sarid,  and  let  them  remain  until  wanted ;  or  lay  them  on 
a  shelf  to  dry  out  the  moisture.  See,  also,  that  the  stocks,  which  have 
been  budded,  are  secured  to  stakes  against  the  effects  of  the  wind. 
Protect  the  smooth-wooded  kinds,  budded  on  the  stocks  in  pots,  from 
the  frost,  and  look  well  to  the  litter  on  those  in  beds. 

At  the  North,  those  roses,  taken  up  and  potted  last  month,  should 
now  be  headed  in,  cutting  away  all  small  shoots  to  one  good  eye. 
They  may  be  wintered  in  a  cold  frame,  or  taken  into  the  house,  where 
they  will  bloom  from  February  to  May. 


INSECTS. 

THE  insects  which  infest  the  Rose  are  quite  numerous ;  but  as  their 
habits  are  comparatively  but  little  known,  it  has  thus  far  been  very 
difficult  to  arrest  their  ravages,  or  sensibly  diminish  their  number,  by 
artificial  means.  At  least  forty  distinct  species  are  described  by  Euro- 
pean naturalists,  but  many  of  them  do  not  exist  among  us.  The  only 
reliable  authority  on  this  subject,  in  this  country,  is  Dr.  T.  W.  Harris, 
of  Harvard  University.  From  his  "Report  on  the  Insects  Injurious 
to  Vegetation  in  Massachusetts,"  we  copy  the  following,  which,  doubt- 
less, will  be  acceptable  to  all  who  are  not  in  possession  of  his  work : — 

The  saw  fly  of  the  Rose,  which,  as  it  does  not  seem  to  have  been 
described  before,  may  be  called  Selandria  rosce,  from  its  favorite  plant, 
so  nearly  resembles  the  slug-worm  sav  fly  as  not  to  be  distinguished 


INSECTS.  81 

thurefrom  except  by  a  practised  observer.  It  is  also  very  much  like 
Selandria  barda,  vitis  and  pygmcea,  but  has  not  the  red  thorax  of  these 
three  closoly-allied.  species.  It  is  of  a  deep  and  shining  black  color. 
The  first  two  pairs  of  legs  are  brownish  grey  or  dirty  white,  except 
the  thighs,  which  are  almost  entirely  black.  The  hind  legs  are  black, 
with  whitish  knees.  The  wings  are  smoky  and  transparent,  with 
darkrbrown  veins,  and  a  brown  spot  near  the  middle  of  the  edge  of 
the  fi>st  pair.  The  body  of  the  male  is  a  little  more  than  three  twen- 
tieths of  an  inch'long,  that  of  the  female  one  fifth  of  an  inch  or  more, 
and  the  wings  expand  nearly  or  quite  two  fifths  of  an  inch.  These 
saw  flies  come  out  of  the  ground,  at  various  times,  between  the  twen- 
tieth of  May  and  the  middle  of  June,  during  which  period  they  pair 
and  lay  their  eggs.  The  females  do  not  fly  much,  and  may  be  seen, 
during  most  of  the  day,  resting  on  the  leaves ;  and,  when  touched, 
they  draw  up  their  legs,  and  fall  to  the  ground.  The  males  are  more 
active,  fly  from  one  rose  bush  to  another,  and  hover  around  their  slug- 
gish partners.  The  latter,  when  about  to  lay  their  eggs,  turn  a  little 
on  one  side,  unsheath  their  saws,  and  thrust  them  obliquely  into  the 
skin  of  the  leaf,  depositing  in  each  incision  thus  made  a  single  egg. 
The  young  begin  to  hatch  in  ten  days  or  a  fortnight  after  the  eggs  are 
laid.  They  may  sometimes  be  found  on  the  leaves  as  early  as  the 
first  of  June,  but  do  not  usually  appear  in  considerable  numbers  till 
the  twentieth  of  the  same  month. 

How  long  they  are  in  coming  to  maturity,  I  have  not  particularly 
observed ;  but  the  period  of  their  existence  in  the  caterpillar  state 
probably  does  not  exceed  three  weeks.  They  somewhat  resemble  the 
young  of  the  saw  fly  in  form,  but  are  not  quite  so  convex.  They 
have  a  small,  round,  yellowish  head,  wTith  a  black  dot  on  each  side  of 
it,  and  are  provided  with  twenty-two  short  legs.-  The  body  is  green 
above,  paler  at  the  sides,  and  yellowish  beneath;  and  it  is  soft,  and 
almost  transparent  like  jelly.  The  skin  of  the  back  is  transversely 
wrinkled,  and  covered  with  minute  elevated  points;  and  there  are 
two  small,  triple-pointed  warts  on  the  edge  of  the  first  ring,  immedi- 
ately behind  the  head.  These  gelatinous  and  sluggish  creatures  eat 
the  upper  surface  of  the  leaf  in  large  irregular  patches,  leaving  the 
veins  and  the  skin  beneath  untouched :  and  they  are  sometimes  so 
'iiick  that  not  a  leaf  on  the  bushes  is  spared  by  them,  and  the  whole 
foliage  looks  as  if  it  had  been  scorched  by  fire,  and  drops  off  sooc 
4* 


82  INSECTS. 

afterward.  They  cast  their  skins  several  times,  leaving  them  extended 
and  fastened  on  the  leaves ;  after  the  last  moulting,  they  lose  their 
semi-transparent  and  greenish  color,  and  acquire  an  opaque  yellowish 
nue.  They  then  leave  the  rose  bushes,  some  of  them  slowly  creeping 
down  the  stem,  and  others  rolling  up  and  dropping  off,  especially 
when  the  bushes  are  shaken  by  the  wind.  Having  reached  the 
ground,  they  burrow  to  the  depth  of  an  inch  or  more  in  the  earth, 
where  each  one  makes  for  itself  a  small  oval  cell,  of  grains  of  earth, 
cemented  with  a  little  gummy  silk.  Having  finished  their  transforma- 
tions, and  turned  to  flies,  within  their  cells,  they  come  out  of  the 
ground  early  in  August,  and  lay  their  eggs  for  a  second  brood  of 
young.  These,  in  turn,  perform  their  appointed  work  of  destruction 
in  the  autumn;  they  then  go  into  the  ground,  make  their  earthen 
cells,  remain  therein  throughout  the  winter,  and  appear  in  the  winged 
form,  in  the  following  spring  and  summer. 

During  several  years  past,  these  pernicious  vermin  have  infested 
the  rose  bushes  in  the  vicinity  of  Boston,  and  have  proved  so  injurious 
to  them,  as  to  have  excited  the  attention  of  the  Massachusetts  Horti- 
cultural Society,  by  whom  a  premium  of  one  hundred  dollars,  for  the 
most  successful  mode  of  destroying  these  insects,  was  offered  in  the 
summer  of  1840.  About  ten  years  ago,  I  observed  them  in  gardens, 
in  Cambridge,  and  then  made  myself  acquainted  with  their  transforma- 
tions. At  that  time,  they  had  not  reached  Milton,  my  former  place 
of  residence,  and  have  appeared  in  that  place  only  within  two  or  three 
years.  They  now  seem  to  be  gradually  extending  in  all  directions, 
and  an  effectual  method  for  preserving  our  roses  from  their  attacks 
has  become  very  desirable  to  all  persons  who  set  any  value  on  this 
beautiful  ornament  of  our  gardens  and  shrubberies.  Showering  or 
syringing  the  bushes  with  a  liquor,  made  by  mixing  with  water  the 
juice  expressed  from  tobacco  by  tobacconists,  has  been  recommended ; 
but  some  caution  is  necessary  in  making  this  mixture  of  a  proper 
strength,  for  if  too  strong,  it  is  injurious  to  plants;  and  the  experiment 
does  not  seem,  as  yet,  to  have  been  conducted  with  sufficient  care  to 
insure  safety  and  success. 

Dusting  lime  over  the  plants,  when  wet  with  dew,  has  been  tried 
and  found  of  some  use ;  but  this  and  all  other  remedies  will  probably 
yield  in  efficacy  to  Mr.  Haggerston's  mixture  of  whale-oil  soap  and 
water,  in  the  proportion  of  tvo  pounds  of  the  soap  to  fifteen  gallons 


INSECTS.  83 

of  water.  Particular  directions,  drawn  up  by  Mr.  Haggerston  himself, 
for  the  preparation  and  use  of  this  simple  and  cheap  application,  may 
be  found  in  the  "  Boston  Courier,"  for  the  twenty-fifth  of  June,  1841, 
and  also  in  mos  of  our  agricultural  and  horticultural  journals  of  the 
same  time.  The  utility  of  this  mixture  has  already  been  repeatedly 
mentioned  in  my  treatise,  and  it  may  be  applied  in  other  cases  with 
advantage.  Mr.  Haggerston  finds  that  it  effectually  destroys  many 
kinds  of  insects  ;  and  he  particularly  mentions  plant  lice  of  various 
kinds,  red  spiders,  canker  worms,  and  a  little  jumping  insect  which 
has  lately  been  found  quite  as  hurtful  to  rose  bushes  as  the  slugs  or 
young  of  the  saw  fly.  The  little  insect  alluded  to  has  been  mistaken 
for  a  species  of  thrips,  or  vine  fretter ;  it  is,  however,  a  leaf  hopper,  or 
species  of  Tettigonia,  much  smaller  than  the  leaf  hopper  of  the  grape 
vine,  (Tettigonia  vitis,)  and,  like  the  leaf  hopper  of  the  bean,  entirely 
cf  a  pale-green  color. 

In  treating  of  the  common  Rose  Bug,  or  Rose  Chafer,  (Melolontha 
subspinosa,}  Dr.  Harris  says : — 

The  natural  history  of  the  rose  chafer,  one  of  the  greatest  scourges 
with  which  our  gardens  and  nurseries  have  been  afflicted,  was  for  a 
long  time  involved  in  mystery,  but  is  at  last  fully  cleared  up.  The 
prevalence  of  this  insect  on  the  Rose,  and  its  annual  appearance  coin- 
ciding with  the  blossoming  of  that  flower,  have  gained  for  it  the  pop- 
ular name  by  which  it  is  here  known.  For  some  time  after  they  were 
first  noticed,  rose  bugs  appeared  to  be  confined  to  their  favorite,  the 
blossoms  of  the  rose;  but  within  thirty  years,  they  have  prodigiously 
increased  in  number,  have  attacked  at  random  various  kinds  of  plants 
in  swarms,  and  have  become  notorious  for  their  extensive  and  deplo- 
rable ravages.  The  grape  vine  in  particular,  the  cherry,  plum  and 
apple  trees,  have  annually  suffered  by  their  depredations ;  many  other 
fruit  trees  and  shrubs,  garden  vegetables  and  corn,  and  even  the  trees 
of  the  forest  and  the  grass  of  the  fields,  have  been  laid  under  contri- 
bution by  these  indiscriminate  feeders,  by  which  leaves,  flowers,  and 
fruits  are  alike  consumed.  • 

The  unexpected  arrival  of  these  insects  in  swarms,  at  their  first 
coming,  and  their  sudden  disappearance,  at  the  close  of  their  career, 
are  remarkable  facts  in  their  history.  They  come  forth  from  the 


84  INSECTS. 

ground  during  the  second  week  in  June,  or  about  the  t.me  of  tne 
blossoming  of  the  Damask  Rose,  and  remain  from  thirty  to  forty  days. . 
At  the  end  of  this  period,  the  males  become  exhausted,  fall  to  the 
ground,  and  perish,  while  the  females  enter  the  earth,  lay  their  eggs, 
return  to  the  surface,  and,  after  lingering  a  few  days,  die  also.  The 
eggs  laid  by  each  female  are  about  thirty  in  number,  and  are  depos- 
ited from  one  to  four  inches  beneath  the  surface  of  the  soil;  they  are 
nearly  globular,  whitish,  and  about  one  thirtieth  of  an  inch  in  diame- 
ter, and  are  hatched  twenty  days  after  they  are  laid.  The  young 
larvae  begin  to  feed  on  such  tender  roots  as  are  within  their  reach. 
Like  other  grubs  of  the  Scarabaeians,  when  not  eating,  they  lie  upon 
the  side,  with  the  body  curved  so  that  the  head  and  tail  are  nearly  in 
contact;  they  move  with  difficulty  on  a  level  surface,  and  are  contin- 
ually falling  over  on  one  side  or  the  other.  They  attain  their  full  size 
in  autumn,  being  then  nearly  three  quarters  of  an  inch  long,  and 
about  an  eighth  of  an  inch  in  diameter.  They  are  of  a  yellowish- white 
color,  with  a  tinge  of  blue  towards  the  hinder  extremity,  which  is 
thick  and  obtuse  or  rounded ;  a  few  short  hairs  are  scattered  on  the 
surface  of  the  body ;  there  are  six  short  legs,  namely,  a  pair  to  each 
of  the  first  three  rings  behind  the  head;  and  the  latter  is  covered  with 
a  horny  shell  of  a  pale  rust  color.  In  October,  they,  descend  below 
the  reach  of  frost,  and  pass  the  winter  in  a  torpid  state.  In  the  spring, 
they  approach  toward  the  surface,  and  each  one  forms  for  itself  a  little 
cell  of  an  oval  shape,  by  turning  round  a  great  many  times,  so  as  to 
compress  the  earth  and  render  the  inside  of  the  cavity  hard  and 
smooth.  Within  this  cell,  the  grub  is  transformed  to  a  pupa, 
during  the  month  of  May,  by  casting  off  its  skin,  which  is  pushed 
downward  in  folds  from  the  head  to  the  tail.  The  pup  a  has  some- 
what the  form  of  the  perfected  beetle;  but  it  is  of  a  yello  wish- white 
color,  and  its  short  stump-like  wings,  its  antennae,  and  legs  are  folded 
upon  the  breast,  and  its  whole  body  is  inclosed  in  a  thin  film,  that 
wraps  each  part  separately.  During  the  month  of  June,  this  filmy 
skin  is  rent,  the  included  beetle  withdraws  from  its  body  and  its 
limbs,  bursts  open  its  earthen  cell,  and  digs  its  way  to  the  surface  of 
the  ground.  Thus  the  various  changes,  from  the  egg  to  the  full  devel- 
opment of  the  perfected  beetle,  are  completed  within  the  spac*}  of  one 
year. 

Such  being  the  metamorphoses  and  habits  of  these  insects,  it 


INSECTS.  85 

dent  that  we  cannot  attack  them  in  the  egg,  the  grub,  nor  the  pupa 
state;  th3  enemy,  in  these  stages,  is  beyond  our  reach,  and  is  subject 
to  the  control  only  of  the  natural  but  unknown  means  appointed  by 
the  Author  of  Nature  to  keep  the  insect  tribes  in  check.  When  they 
have  issued  from  their  subterranean  retreats,  and  have  congregated 
upon  our  vines,  trees,  and  other  vegetable  productions,  in  the  com- 
plete enjoyment  of  their  propensities,  we  must  unite  our  efforts  to 
seize  and  crush  the  invaders.  They  must  indeed  be  crushed,  scalded, 
or  burned,  to  deprive  them  of  life  ;  for  they  are  not  affected  by  any  of 
the  applications  usually  found  destructive  to  other  insects.  Experi- 
ence has  proved  Che  utility  of  gathering  them  by  hand,  or  of  shaking 
them  or  brushing  them  from  the  plants  into  tin  vessels  containing  a 
little  water.  They  should  be  collected  daily  during  the  period  of 
their  visitation,  and  should  be  committed  to  the  flames,  or  killed  by 
scalding  water.  The  late  John  Lowell,  Esq.,  states,  that  in  1823,  he 
discovered  on  a  solitary  apple  tree,  the  rose  bugs  "  in  vast  numbers, 
such  as  could  not  be  described,  and  would  hot  be  believed  if  they 
were  described,  or  at  least  none  but  an  ocular  witness  could  conceive 
of  their  numbers.  Destruction  by  hand  was  out  of  the  question"  in 
this  case.  He  put  sheets  under  the  tree,  and  shook  them  down,  and 
burned  them.  Dr.  Green,  of  Mansfield,  whose  investigations  have 
thrown  much  light  on  the  history  of  this  insect,  proposes  protecting 
plants  with  millinet,  and  says  that  in  this  way  only  did  he  succeed  in 
securing  his  grape  vines  from  depredation.  His  remarks  also  show 
the  utility  of  gathering  them.  "  Eighty-six  of  these  spoilers,"  says  he, 
"  were  known  to  infest  a  single  rose  bud,  and  were  crushed  with  ono 
grasp  of  the  hand."  Suppose,  as  was  probably  the  case,  that  one  half 
of  them  were  females ;  by  this  destruction,  eight  hundred  eggs,  at 
least,  were  prevented  from  becoming  matured. 

During  the  time  of  their  prevalence,  rose  bugs  are  sometimes  found 
in  immense  numbers  on  •  the  flowers  of  the  common  white  weed, 
or  ox-eye  daisy,  (Chrysanthemum  leucanthemum,)  a  worthless  plant, 
which  has  come  to  us  from  Europe,  and  has  been  suffered  to  overrun 
our  pastures,  and  encroach  on  our  mowing  lands.  In  certain  cases,  it 
may  become  expedient  rapidly  to  mow  down  the  infested  white  weed 
in  dry  pastures,  and  consume  it  with  the  sluggish  rose  bugs  on  the 
gpot. 

Our  insect-eating  birds  undoubtedly  devour  many  of  these  insects. 


86  INSECTS. 

and  deserve  to  be  cherished  and  protected  for  their  services.  Rose 
bugs  are  also  eaten  greedily  by  domesticated  fowls ;  and  when  they 
become  exhausted  and  fall  to  the  ground,  or  when  they  are  about  to 
lay  their  eggs,  they  are  destroyed  by  moles,  insects,  and  other  ani- 
mals, which  lie  in  wait  to  seize  them.  Dr.  Green  informs  us  that  a 
species  of  dragon  fly,  or  devil's  needle,  devours  them.  He  also  says 
that  an  insect  which  he  calls  the  enemy  of  the  cut  worm,  probably 
the  larva  of  a  Carabus,  or  predaceous  ground  beetle,  preys  on  the 
grubs  of  the  common  dor  bug.  In  France,  the  golden  ground  beetle, 
( Carabus  auratus,}  devours  the  female  dor  or  chafer  at  the  moment 
when  she  is  about  to  deposit  her  eggs.  I  have  taken  one  specimen 
of  this  fine  ground  beetle  in  Massachusetts,  and  we  have  several  other 
irinds,  equally  predacsous,  which  probably  contribute  to  check  the 
increase  of  our  native  Melolonthians. 


87 


THE    DAHLIA. 


INTRODUCTION. 

Though  severed  from  its  native  clime, 
Where  skies  are  ever  bright  and  clear, 

And  nature's  face  is  all  sublime, 
And  beauty  clothes  the  fragrant  air, 
The  Dahlia  will  each  glory  wear, 

With  tints  as  bright,  and  leaves  as  green, 

As  on  its  open  plains  are  seen. 
And  when  the  harvest  fields  are  bare, 

She  in  the  sun's  autumnal  ray, 

With  blossomu  decks  the  brow  of  day. 

MAKTOC. 


BOUT  ten  years  before  the  close  of  the  last  century,  this  favor- 
ite flower  was  sent  from  Mexico  to  Spain,  and  a  few  speci- 
mens were  procured,  in  the  year  of  its  importation  to  that  couutry, 
from  Madrid,  by  the  then  Lady  Bute,  but  through  some  mismanage- 
ment the  species  was  lost,  until  Lady  Holland  obtained  seed  from  the 
same  city  in  1804;  while  in  1802,  another  species,  (Dahlia  coccinea,) 
had  been  brought  from  Mexico  through  France;  neither  the  latter 
nor  the  former,  (Dahlia  frustranea,)  seems,  however,  to  have  attracted 
much  attention  amongst  the  Ooricultural  world ;  and  it  was  not  until 


88  REQUISITES    OF    A    PERFECT    FLOWER. 

after  the  peace  of  1815,  that  it  became  an  object  of  professional 
care,  when  a  supply  was  obtained  in  England,  from  France,  where  it3 
cultivation  had  already  been  carried  to  some  extent;  since  which 
period,  an  indefinite  number  of  varieties  has  been  procured  by  the  per- 
severing ingenuity  of  the  florist,  and  %a  monomania  for  this  flower 
existed  for  many  years  unsurpassed  in  inveteracy,  save  by  the  extra- 
ordinary  "  Tulipomania"  of  the  seventeenth  century.  This  has  irj 
some  degree  subsided,  and  the  Dahlia  is  taking  its  proper  rank  as  a 
deservedly  esteemed  flower,  blooming  at  a  season  of  the  year  when 
the  number  of  flowering  plants  in  the  open  garden  is  very  limited. 

The  name  of  Dahlia  was  given  to  it  in  honor  of  Dahl,  a  Swedish 
botanist  and  a  pupil  of  Linnaeus ;  there  was  an  attempt  to  change  it 
to  G-eorgina,  and  on  the  continent  this  has  prevailed  to  a  considerable 
extent ;  but  in  England  and  this  country,  it  has  been  entirely  rejected. 


REQUISITES    OP  A  PERFECT    PLOWER. 

THE  following  characteristics  are  agreed  upon  by  the  London  Flon- 
cultural  Society  as  necessary  to  the  perfection  of  the  Dahlia : — 

1st.  The  general  form  should  be  that  of  about  two  thirds  of  a  sphere, 
or  globe.  The  rows  of  petals  forming  this  globe  should  describe  un- 
broken circles,  lying  over  each  other  with  evenness  and  regularity, 
and  gradually  diminishing  until  they  approach  the  top.  The  petals 
comprising  each  succeeding  row  should  be  spirally  arranged  and  alter- 
nate, like  the  scales  of  the  fir  cone,  thereby  concealing  the  joints  and 
making  the  circle  more  complete. 

2d.  The  petals  should  be  broad  at  the  ends,  perfectly  free  from  notch 
or  indention  of  any  kind,  firm  in  substance,  and  smooth  in  texture. 
They  should  be  bold  and  free,  and  gently  cup,  but  never  curl  or  quill, 
nor  show  the  under  sides;  they  should  be  of  uniform  size,  and  evenly 
expanded  in  each  row,  being  largest  in  the  outer  rows,  aud  gradually 
and  proportionately  diminishing  until  they  approach  the  summit,  when 
they  should  gently  turn  the  reverse  way,  pointing  towards  and  form- 
ing *  nea"  and  close  centre. 


PROPAGATION  S9 

3d.  Tlie  color  in  itself  should  be  dense  and  dear ;  if  in  an  edged 
flower,  concentrated  and  well  denned ;  and  in  both  cases  penetrating 
through  the  petal  with  an  appearance  of  substance  and  solidity. 

4th.  Size  must  be  comparative. 


PROPAGATION. 

THE  Dahlia  may  be  propagated  from  tubers,  by  slips  or  cuttings,  or 
from  seed." 

Propagation   from   Seed. 

This  method  is  now  seldom  practised,  except  by  those  who  desire 
to  obtain  new  varieties  by  hybridising  between  two  distinct  species 
or  choice  varieties.  The  proper  time  for  sowing  the  seed  is  in  March 
or  April,  in  light  soil  in  shallow  boxes  or  pans,  which  are  placed  in  a 
moderate  hot  bed  to  promote  their  germination  ;  though  some  florists 
think  that  plants  as  vigorous,'  if  not  more  so,  may  be  obtained  from 
seed  sown  in  a  warm  and  well-sheltered  border  toward  the  end  of 
April,  or  in  the  early  part  of  May,  provided  the  young  plants  are  pro- 
tected during  the  night  and  guarded  from  casual  frosts ;  or  the  seed 
may  be  sown  in  pans  in  March  in  the  house,  and  put  out  in  the  open 
air  on  mild  days,  to  accustom  them  to  the  external  atmosphere.  In 
any  treatment,  when  the  seed  leaves  are  fully  developed,  they  must  be 
allowed  plenty  of  fresh  air,  or  placed  in  a  cold  frame,  taking  care  that 
they  are  put  as  near  as  possible  to  the  glass,  to  prevent  their  being 
drawn  and  growing  lanky ;  they  may  also  be  potted  singly,  or  three 
or  four  together,  as  soon  as  they  will  bear  handling.  When  they 
have  four  leaves,  they  may  be  treated  in  every  respect  as  old  plants 
and  from  the  twentieth  of  May  to  the  middle  of  June,  they  may  be 
planted  where  it  is  intended  they  should  flower. 

Seed  Gathering. — The  seed  should  be  collected  in  Sef  tember  from 
dwarf  plants,  where  no  preference  exists  on  other  accounts  ;  and,  when 
double  varieties  are  principally  sought  for,  from  semi-double  flowers. 
Seeds  procured  from  those  florets,  which  have  changed  their  form,  are 


90  PROPAGATION. 

supposed  to  have  a  greater  tendency  than  the  other  to  produce  plants 
with  double  flowers. 

Propagation  by  Tubers,  or  Slips,  and  by  Grafting, 

This  is  the  mode  most  commonly  adopted  for  the  propagation  of 
this  favorite  plant,  and  the  operation  is  begun  in  March  or  April,  by 
removing  the  tubers  from  the  place  where  they  have  been  deposited 
during  the  winter,  and  putting  them  in  pots,  or  in  loose  earth  on  a 
mild  hot  bed.  The  crown  of  each  tuber  is  left  uncovered  to  permit 
each  shoot  to  develop  itself,  under  the  full  influence  of  the  atmos- 
pheric air.  When  the  shoots  have  attained  the  length  of  about  three 
inches,  they  are  cautiously  separated  from  the  tuber  by  laying  hold  of 
the  slip  with  the  thumb  and  finger  near  its  base,  and  gently  moving 
it  backward  and  forward  until  it  comes  out  of  its  socket.  Mr.  Paxton 
recommends  that  where  the  shoots  are  numerous,  a  part  of  the  crown 
of  the  tuber  should  be  invariably  taken  off  with  the  shoot,  a  course 
more  likely  to  be  attended  with  success  than  by  extracting  the  slip. 

The  following  mode  of  increasing  choice  varieties  of  this  favorite 
flower  was  discovered  by  Mr.  Blake,  of  Kensington  G-ore,  and  is  now 
commonly  practised  :-  — 

Select  a  good  tuber  of  a  single  sort,  taking  special  care  that  it  has 
no  eyes;  then,  with  a  sharp  knife,  (for  a  dull  edge  would  mangle  the 
fleshy  root,  make  it  jagged,  and  so  prevent  a  complete  adhesion  of  the 
scion  and  stock,)  cut  off  a  slice  from  the  upper  part  of  the  root,  mak- 
ing at  the  bottom  of  the  part  so  cut  a  ledge  wherein  to  rest  the  graft. 
This  is  done  because  you  cannot  tongue  the  graft  as  you  would  do  a 
wood  shoot ;  and  the  ledge  is  useful  in  keeping  the  cutting  fixed  in 
its  place  while  you  tie  it.  Next  cut  the  scion,  (which  should  be  strong, 
short  jointed,  having  on  it  two  or  more  joints  or  buds,)  sloping  to  fit, 
and  cut  it  so  that  a  joint  may  be  at  the  bottom  of  it  to  rest '  on  the 
aforesaid  ledge ;  a  union  may  be  effected  without  the  ledge,  provided 
the  graft  can  be  well  fixed  to  the  tuber,  but  the  work  will  not  then 
be  so  neat.  It  is  of  advantage,  though  not  absolutely  necessary,  that 
a  joint  should  be  at  the  end  of  the  scion ;  for  the  scion  will  occasionally 
put  forth  new  roots  from  the  lower  joint ;  the  stem  is  formed  from 
the  upper  joint ;  therefore  procure  the  cuttings  with  the  lower  join* 
as  near  together  as  possible. 


PROPAGATION.  91 

After  the  graft  has  been  tied,  a  piece  of  fine  clay,  su  ;h  as  is  used 
for  common  grafting,  jiust  be  placed  round  it ;  then  pot  the  root  in 
fine  mould  in  a  pot  of  such  a  size  as  will  bury  the  graft  half  way  in 
the  mould ;  place  the  pot  in  a  little  heat  in  the  front  of  a  cucumber  or 
melon  frame,  if  you  chance  to  have  one  in  work  at  the  time ;  the  front 
is  to  bo  preferred,  for  the  greater  convenience  of  shading  and  watering 
which  are  required.  A  striking  glass  may  be  put  over  the  graft,  or 
not,  at  pleasure.  In  about  three  weeks,  the  root  should  be  shifted 
into  a  large  pot,  if  it  be  too  soon  to  plant  it  in'the  border,  which  will 
probably  be  the  case,  as  the  plant  cannot  go  out  before  April  or  May, 
so  that  the  shifting  will  be  very  essential  to  promote  its  growth  till 
the  proper  season  of  planting  out  shall  arrive. 

Treatment  of  Slips. — The  shoots  having  been  carefully  separated  from 
their  parent  tuber,  they  are  immediately  placed  in  thumb  pots,  filled 
with  light  soil,  not  inserting  each  more  than  an  inch  deep ;  when  this 
is  done,  the  pots  are  plunged  in  the  hot  bed.  When  they  have  filled 
these  small  pots  with  roots,  they  are  shifted  into  others,  which  may 
serve  them  until  the  time  for  planting,  unless  that  be  protracted  by 
unfavorable  weather ;  in  which  contingency  it  will  be  desirable  to 
remove  them  again  into  a  size  larger,  to  allow  the  roots  to  grow  more 
freely,  and  to  prevent  their  becoming  a  close  and  compact  mass,  which 
would  be  highly  detrimental  to  their  vigorous  development,  and  the 
future  health  of  the  plant,  when  consigned  to  the  open  ground. 
Numerous  shoots  are  emitted  from  the  same  tuber  in  succession,  and 
these  are  treated  in  precisely  the  same  manner  when  arrived  at  the 
proper  length.  They  must  be  shaded  from  the  sun  while  making 
roots,  and  protected  from  vapor  and  frost.  The  best  compost  for  the 
Dahlia  in  pots  is  a  mixture  of  sifted  decayed  hotbed  dung,  light 
virgin  loam,  and  pure  white  sand,  in  equal  quantities. 

Situation  and  Preparation  of  the  Soil. 

The  natural  habitat  of  the  Dahlia  is,  we  are  informed,  in  a  rather 
light  soil  and  on  open  plains.  English  cultivators  recommend  a  shel- 
tered situation;  that  is,  sheltered  from  high  winds,  which  break  and 
shatter  their  lateral  branches,  however  much  they  may  be  strength- 
ened and  supported  by  stakes ;  yet  fully  exposed  to  the  sun,  and 
where  they  can  have  the  advantage  of  a  free  circulation  of  air,  the  soil 


92  TREATMENT. 

naturally  damp,  rich,  of  good  depth,  and  on  a  dry  bottom.  The  soil, 
however,  is  rarely  so  good  that  it  cannot  be  improved  for  the  purpose 
for  which  it  is  desired,  and  it  is  recommended  that  those  who  would 
grow  the  Dahlia  to  perfection  <*hould  trench  the  ground  in  November, 
previous  to  its  being  required,  cy  first  removing  the  soil  to  the  depth 
of  twelve  inches,  arid  replacing  it  with  equal  portions  of  good  yellow 
loam  and  peat  earth ;  and  then  trenching  it  again  to  the  depth  of  two 
feet,  mixing  the  original  sub-soil  an  •  the  loam  and  peat  thoroughly 
together,  with  a  large  quantity  of  staole  manure,  thoroughly  decayed, 
or  it  will  be  injurious.  This  may  seem  an  expensive  process,  but  once 
done  it  will  need  no  further  preparation  for  many  years,  except  the 
occasional  addition  of  manure. 

N.  B. — In  a  strong  clay  soil,  enriched  with  well-decayed  manure, 
the  Dahlia  produces  the  largest  flowers  ;  in  alight  soil,  the  plant  grows 
to  a  great  size,  but  the  flowers  are  comparatively  small. 


TREATMENT. 

THOSE  who  hK,ve  no  hot  bed  wherein  to  start  their  Dahlias  into  a 
growing  state,  may  do  so  with  equal  success,  and  may  obtain  even 
more  vigorous  and  better-blooming  plants  than  those  which  are 
excited  by  artificial  heat,  by  planting  them  in  March  or  April  in  a  box 
of  light  soil  or  decayed  leaves,  keeping  it  in  a  moist  state,  and  expos- 
ing them  to  the  full  heat  of  the  sun  throughout  the  day,  and  taking 
them  in-doors  at  night.  When  tLe  shoots  are  three  or  four  inches 
long,  they  may  all,  except  one,  be  taken  off  close  to  the  tuber,  and 
treated  as  slips ;  but  if  you  can  divide  the  tuber  into  as  many  pieces 
as  there  are  shoots,  it  is  to  be  preferred. 

Planting  Out. 

There  are  few  situations,  in  the  Middle  and  Northern  States,  where 
Dahlia  plants  can  be  planted  out  with  safety  before  April,  May,  or  the 
early  part  of  June.  When  the  operation  is  performed,  the  plants,  if  on 
beds  by  themselves,  which  is  desirable,  should  be  set  in  rows  not  less 


TRE-  TMENT.  93 

than  six  feet  apart  each  way.  Due  regard  must  be  had  to  the  respec- 
tive heights  of  the  plants  and  the  colors  of  their  flowers ;  if  on  a  bed 
where  they  are  to  be  viewed  from  all  sides,  the  tallest-growing  kinds 
should  be  placed  in  the  centre ;  if  to  be  seen  only  from  the  front,  the 
'oftiest  must  be  set  at  the  back;  and,  in  reference  to  colors,  so  arranged 
that  they  will  produce  a  harmonious  effect  as  a  mass.  Your  plants, 
if  well  grown,  will  be  from  eighteen  inches  to  twenty-four  in  height, 
when  planted,  and  should  be  supported  by  stakes  immediately;  when 
they  are  full  two  feet  high,  the  top  of  the  leading  shoots,  or  upright 
stem,  should  be  cut  off  to  induce  the  plant  to  throw  out  laterals. 

It  is  a  very  common  error  to  keep  the  Dahlia  in  pots  too  small  for 
the  quantity  of  roots  the  plant  has  formed,  and  the  evil  consequences 
of  this  are  increased  in  seasons  when  it  is  most  desirable  they  should 
be  avoided;  for  if  the  .weather  be  so  unfavorable  as  to  put  off  the 
period  of  planting  out,  the  roots  have  been  meanwhile  increasing,  and 
filling  up  the  pot,  so  that  when  the  plant  is  taken  out  to  be  set  in  the 
open  ground,  the  ball  of  earth  cannot  be  removed  without  breaking 
some  of  the  fibres ;  and,  fearful  of  doing  this,  many  persons  plant  them 
without  disturbing  it,  and  the  result  generally  is,  that  the  plant  does 
not  begin  to  grow  vigorously  until  near  the  time  when  it  ought  to  be 
:m  flower.  It  is  better,  indeed,  to  break  some  of  the  fibres,  and  get 
tway  the  dried  and  baked  earth  from  around  the  roots ;  for  though  it 
seems  to  give  a  violent  check  to  the  growth  of  the  plant,  it  will,  when 
it  has  recovered,  thrive  far  better  than  those  planted  with  the  ball 
entire ;  it  is,  however,  preferable  to  avoid  the  necessity  for  the  latter 
plan,  or  the  alternative  of  breaking  the  roots,  by  planting  them  in  pots 
of  a  larger  size  than  those  commonly  used.  The  crown  of  the  tuber 
should  be  placed  at  least  three  inches  below  the  surface  of  the  soil  in 
planting  out. 

Mulching   and  Watering. 

When  the  plants  are  two  feet  high,  remove  the  earth  from  around 
the  base  of  the  stems  to  the  depth  of  three  or  four  inches ;  supplying 
its  place  with  well-decomposed  manure,  which  must  be  slightly  cov- 
ered with  earth ;  in  dry  weather,  the  plants  must  be  watered  through 
this  mulching  twice  a  week  at  least,  or  every  other  day,  according  to 
the  state  of  the  weather ;  and  this  should  be  done  i  A  the  evening.  The 


94  AMER   CULTURE. 

Dahlia  is  greatly  benefited  by  this  system  of  mulching  and  watering, ; 
for,  unlike  many  other  kinds  of  plants,  it  seeks  its  nourishment  chiefly 
from  the  surface  of  the  soil ;  and  its  roots  will  be  found,  in  favorable 
circumstances,  to  be  clustered  together  near  it.  Throughout  the  sum- 
mer it  is  also  advantageous  to  the  plants  to  have  the  earth  around  tho 
roots  carefully  loosened  by  the  use  of  a  fork,  from  time  to  time 


AFTER  CULTURE. 

DAHLIAS  should  never  be  pruned  until  the  bloom  buds  show,  and 
then  but  few  branches  should  be  cut  out,  and  only  such  as  are  grow- 
ing across  others.  The  buds  should  be  thinned,  for  it  is  by  these  that 
the  strength  of  the  plant  gets  exhausted.  By  removing  all  that  are 
too  near  one  to  be  bloomed,  and  all  those  that  f  how  imperfections 
enough  to  prevent  them  being  useful,  much  strength  will  be  gained 
by  the  future  flowers.  So,  also,  by  pulling  off  the  blooms  themselves, 
the  moment  they  are  past  perfection,  instead  of  letting  them  seed. 

Winds  and  sun  are  both  detrimental ;  and  the  practice  of  fixing  the 
blooms  in  the  centre  of  a  flat  board,  and  covering  them  with  glass  or 
flower  pots,  as  they  may  want  light  or  shade,  is  becoming  general. 
The  more  easy  way  is  to  use  a  paper  shade  for  any  particular  fine 
bloom ;  for  however  the  flowers  may  be  coaxed  and  nursed  unde? 
cx)ver,  a  stand  of  blooms,  grown  finely,  and  merely  shaded  from  the 
hottest  sun,  will  beat  all  others  in  brilliancy,  and  in  standing  carriage, 
and  keeping.  It  is  right  to  go  round  the  plants,  and,  wherever  there 
is  a  promising  bud  or  bloom,  to  take  away  all  the  leaves  and  shoots 
that  threaten  to  touch  it  as  they  grow ;  take  off  also  the  adjoining 
buds ;  and  if  1&e  weather  be  windy,  make  it  fast  to  a  stick  or  one  of 
the  stakes,  that  it  may  not  be  bruised  or  frayed ;  shade  it  from  the 
broiling  sun,  and  it  will  so  profit  by  the  air  and  night  dews,  as  com- 
parer1 with  the  j^loom  under  pots  and  glasses,  that  if  the  growth  be 
equal,  fne  blooming  will  be  superior.  Nevertheless  people  will  cover; 
and  where  there  is  a  disposition  to  a  hard  eye,  it  will  hardly  come  out 
perfect  unless  it  is  covered.  As  the  end  of  September  approaches,  or 


AFTER   CULTURE.  95 

as  soon  as  you  have  done  with  the  bloom,  earth  i  p  the  plants,  in 
order  that  when  the  frost  comes  it  may  not  reach  the  crown. 

Preserving   the    Roots. 

The  plants  may  be  raised  without  injury,  immediately  after  the 
blooms  are  cut  off  by  the  frost,  provided  that  they  are  hung  up  in  a 
dry  and  ordinarily  protected  situation,  with  the  roots  uppermost,  if  care 
is  taken  to  leave  six  or  seven  inches  of  the  stem  attached  to  each  tuber  ; 
this  may  be  done  without  the  slightest  fear  of  their  withering  from 
having  been  lifted  in  a  green  state.  As  the  winter  advances,  and  the 
tubers  become  matured  and  firm,  the  ordinary  modes  of  protection 
against  frost  may  be  resorted  to. 

Treatment  when  Flowering. 

When  the  buds  of  your  Dahlias  begin  to  appear,  you  must  take 
them  off  until  you  think  the  plants  have  attained  their  full  vigor,  and 
then  permit  only  every  third  bud  to  grow  to  maturity ;  by  doing  this, 
it  is  true,  yflu  will  not  have  so  numerous  a  show  of  flowers,  but  those 
which  you  have,  will  attain  the  highest  state  of  perfection  your  plants 
are  capable  of;  taking  into  account  their  situation  and  previous  treat- 
ment, and,  what  is  of  paramount  importance,  the  character  of  the 
season.  In  the  treatment  of  flowers  grown  for  exhibition  at  flower 
shows,  it  is  a  common  practice  to  bind  down  the  disk  of  the  flower 
towards  the  earth,  by  which,  it  is  said,  the  flowers  are  rendered  more 
perfect  in  form,  and  richer  in  color.  When  in  flower,  the  bloom  should 
be  shaded  from  the  sun,  during  the  hottest  parts  of  the  day. 

Striped  Varieties. — The  striped  kinds  have  a  tendency  to  "  run,"  as 
it  is  termed,  into  self-colored  flowers,  if  not  carefully  treated,  and 
almost  invariably  do  so  when  planted  in  rich  soil ;  the  best  mode  of 
keeping  them  "  clean,"  that  is,  in  their  prime  estate  as  striped  flowery 
is  to  plant  them  in  poor  soil. 

Autumnal  and  Winter  Treatment. 

It  is  the  practice  with  many  persons  to  take  up  their  Dahlia  roots 
as  soon  as  the  shrubs  are  cut  down  by  the  frost ;  this  is  not  desirable, 
because  if  the  tubers  are  taken  up  before  their  vital  powers  are  hi  a 


96  AFTER   CULTURE. 

quiescent  state,  they  are  more  easily  injured  by  the  dryr  jss  of  th« 
atmosphere  into  whicji  they  are  to  be  removed,  and  which  it  is  neces- 
sary they  should  be  able  to  bear  without'  shrivelling;  as  in  a  moist 
atmosphere  they  are  apt  to  become  mildewed  and  mouldy ;  therefore, 
it  is  best  about  the  end  of  September  to  cover  the  stems  and  some 
distance  round  with  earth  and  littery  dung,  about  six  inches  thick,  so 
as  to  protect  the  crown  of  the  tuber  from  injury  by  the  early  frosts ; 
and  allow  them  to  remain  in  the  ground  till  November,  when  they 
must  be  taken  up  and  spread  singly  in  a  dry  open  shed  for  a  few  days, 
not  allowing  the  sun  to  shine  upon  them,  and  turned  occasionally 
during  this  period,  so  that  they  may  be  dried  gradually ;  as,  if  dried 
too  quickly,  they  shrivel,  or  too  slowly,  they  become  rotten. 

When  sufficiently  dry,  clear  away  the  earth  from  them,  and  place 
them  in  a  dry  under-ground  cellar,  where  the  frost  is  not  likely  to 
reach  them ;  and  these  should  be  examined  throughout  the  winter 
from  time  to  time,  and  if  there  be  the  least  symptom  of  damp  upon 
the  tubers,  they  should  be  carefully  wiped  with  a  dry  cloth,  and 
receive  almost  daily  attention.  Should  you  not  have  the  convenience 
of  such  a  cellar,  you  must  store  them  in  a  pit  in  the  garden,  which 
must  be  prepared  in  a  dry  spot,  and  be  of  sufficient  capacity  to  hold 
all  your  tubers.  Having  dug  the  pit,  cover  the  bottom  with  dry 
ashes,  then  pile  the  roots  thereon,  tier  upon  tier,  so  as  to  form  a  ridge ; 
then  cover  them  with  plenty  of  straw,  and  form  a  ridga  of  earth  over 
them  of  the  thickness  of  twelve  or  fourteen  inches. 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 
LANDSCAPE  ARCHITECTURE  LIBRAR^ 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below,  or 

on  the  date  to  which  renewed. 
Renewed  books  are  subject  to  immediate  recall. 


NOV  201959 

JUN  1  6  1960 

JAN  *  1  1** 

JTtRLIBRARY  LQA?<S 

It      1  :.  1985 

y,W.  OF  CALIF.,  BERK. 

^      & 

V                  O 

«.*°"  -*"  . 

g^ 

0              ^> 

LD  21-1007n-6,'56 
(B9311slO)476 


General  Library 

University  of  California 

Berkeley 


